Trending in Theatre This Week: The Golden Dragon, Kim’s Convenience, Avenue Q, Cabaret, Other People

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The Golden Dragon

Try something different to usher in the Year of the Dragon by taking in Roland Schimmelpfennig’s spicy concoction of a play about a Chinese restaurant’s kitchen staff that is hiding a young illegal immigrant.
Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Avenue, 416-531-1827. Jan. 18 – Feb. 19.

Kim’s Convenience

Last year’s winner of the best new play contest at Fringe, about a local convenience store with a lot of heart, gets the professional stage treatment courtesy of Soulpepper.
Young Centre for the Performing Art, 55 Mill Street, 416-866-8666. Jan. 19 – Feb. 11.

Avenue Q

This R-rated Sesame Street-like musical, which features monsters perusing porn and puppets getting it on, is definitely not for children, but it is relatable to the post-grad set. Don’t we all wonder what to do with a B.A. in English?
Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Avenue, 416-915-6747. Jan. 18 – Feb. 4.

Cabaret

The renowned musical (based on John Van Druten’s play) gets a fun reboot at Hart House. If ticket sales are any indication, sex definitely still sells, so gets yours fast so your theatre friends don’t get all schadenfreude on you.
Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle, 416-978-8849. Jan. 13 – 28.

Other People

Young twentysomethings struggle with sex, desire and their art over Christmas in New York’s funky East Village neighbourhood. Sounds like “a very special episode” of Friends gone awry.
Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill Street, 416-866-8666. Jan. 19 – 28.

Neighbourhood Shopping Guide: Roncesvalles edition

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After a tirade of construction deterred many from heading to Toronto’s Polish village for, oh, almost forever, this west end ‘hood is now enjoying quite the revival. With many plenty of new businesses rearing their heads (with the exception of one landmark bakery shuttering after 39 years), Roncy is becoming a destination, featuring a great medley of boutiques and eateries. Below, some of the strip’s best shops.

Scout

This is one of our favourite new stores in the city, because owner Leah Eyles never fails to impress us with her covetable picks. Some new finds include a 2012 calendar by Katie Muth, filled with bewitching lino-blocked scenes of home ($20). Napkins with red wine “stains” are a great way to postpone trips to the laundromat ($25), while an anchor bottle opener is a nice upgrade from a lighter ($32.95).
405 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-546-6922

Planet Kid

Curated by Sarajane Fillmore, this shop for tots is filled with cute and clever products, many of which are Canadian-made. A cherry-red capelet from Patouche is made in Toronto from 100 per cent wool, and features a simple-but-charming flower appliqué ($38). Teeny tiny sheepskin booties look like they belong on babies in the Alps ($38), while various curious critters seem to be surprised at their positioning on a knit hat ($31.95). Unique toys are also scattered about; we liked the build-your-own kind by fidoodle, allowing kids to construct their own movable cars or creatures ($14).
87 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-537-9233

Frock

This lively boutique — parked on the corner of the block — is filled with delicious finds. Carrying a mix of pieces from Canada, the U.S. and overseas, we fell for a dreamy Valérie Dumaine dress ($156) and a red bra top by Free People dotted with miniature white hearts ($46). Garb from Pendleton can be found here, alongside homegrown line Alice & Alishka. Accessories include handmade, recycled leather and fur hats from Rachel.F. ($150-$295) and beautifully crafted leather schoolboy backpacks from New York label Etwas ($560).
97 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-516-1333

Mrs. Huizenga

Kind of like stepping into your grandmother’s hodgepodge of a home, the Mrs. is chock full of anything and everything one can imagine. Absorbing it all in one visit is unlikely, for each surface is bubbling over with seemingly endless retro goods. Live vicariously through the adventures of Nancy Drew ($6) while curling up by the fire (or just the fireplace channel), or craft your own tome with the aid of a Royal typewriter ($90). The kitchen table can be perked up with some cheerily embroidered napkins (six for $24) and painted coasters ($8) featuring chipper folks whistling while they work (though not literally, as far as we could tell). While the front space houses goods for the home, the smaller back room is devoted to vintage fashions; we enjoyed a floppy black hat and a pair of multicoloured pumps.
121 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-533-2112

Imelda

Named after the infamous Mrs. Marcos who owned, ahem, 1,060 pairs of shoes, Imelda is to the foot what Frock is to the bod. Carrying lines such as Frye, Re-Mix and Sorel, local ladies can saunter around town imagining they’ve stepped out of a Western flick or the Glastonbury mud. We fell for some tan lace-up booties from Swedish Hasbeens, loving the rustic craftsmanship and the wooden sole ($429). Meanwhile, a tiny vintage section is tucked to the side; a cream poncho ($139) with hand-embroidered violet flowers will likely stir up controversy (since folks are always opinionated about the poncho); while a camel-coloured chapeau — complete with flirtatious netting and a floral burst — is a sly look for Sunday brunch ($39).
123 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-516-1333

The Mercantile

Owner Shannon Doyle was known as the hostess with the mostess before she decided to open a shop dedicated to helping others impress with the same ease. This specialty food store offers a wide selection of teas, oils, salts, preserves, spices and more, along with custom-made gift baskets ($40 and up). Suggested cheap ‘n’ chic gifts include McClure’s garlic and dill pickles ($9.99), oak-aged apple cider vinegar from Wyatt Farm ($16), and fair trade sea salt chocolate from Galerie au Chocolat ($4.95). We were also drawn to Nellie’s All-Natural laundry goods. The laundry detergent nuggets ($19.95) are worth getting for the tin packaging alone, never mind the other benefits.
297 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-531-7563

Fetch

This cozy shop houses all the goods needed to deck your canine companion out. With eco-friendly leashes and all-natural food, owner Nadia Brooks has sussed out products that nurture both the pup and the environment. A roller derby collar featuring miniature tattoo-style images ($50) pairs nicely with a tough-as-nails studded treats jar ($30). For owners on the go, Brooks offers up daily doggy daycare, and has her very own dog park nearby. Most exciting of all, puppy adoption days are held a few times each year, with the next one happening on Jan. 21. Moosonee Puppy Rescue saves dogs from communities in northern Ontario that are overrun with them, hoping to find them new homes. Most of the puppies are husky mixes, and are incredibly adorable but rather hard to photograph!
367 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-534-6986

Fresh Collective

Specializing in local designers, this boutique — which is run by the designers themselves — carries both clothing and accessories for the lady who eschews fast fashion. With lines such as Fresh Baked Goods (from founder Laura-Jean Bernhardson) and Brenda Beddome lining the racks, pieces feature a variety of silhouettes; some give off a retro vibe, while others are more suited to those with classic tastes. A multicoloured dress by Fresh Baked Goods with a whirling circular pattern conjures up images of vibrant Tokyo ($165), while a lacey coat by Brenda Beddome offers a whiff of French boudoir ($270). The jewellery in this location (there are two others) includes sophisticated pieces by Nicole Boudreau and Elementals; a multi-strand necklace created using Swarovski crystals is simply stunning ($249).
401 Roncesvalles Ave., 647-352-7123

Mariclaro

Founded by globetrotters Sven Schlegel and Willa Murray, this sustainable design company sells a mix of green and up-cycled products, but is perhaps best known for its bags. Plucking materials from scrapyards and intercepting goods bound for the landfill, backpacks are created using a medley of unexpected materials. Car upholstery, bike tubes, seatbelts and exploded airbags are just some of the items the team works with. The result? Incredibly durable pieces that caught the attention of the Globe Awards and, oh, the New York Times. We fell for a metallic grey backpack, imagining it to be highly visible for nighttime biking ($139). Other goods include earrings made from recycled projector slides ($18, fathers everywhere, take note); offbeat bike bells by Epidemic 613 ($25) and the adorably menacing Damned Dollies.
457 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-533-9161

Stasis Local Foods

The newest kid on the block, this shop hawking Julian Katz’s pickled products has been open for a mere few weeks. Run with help from mom, dad and sister Katz — in addition to girlfriend Emily Pennington — Stasis promotes eating locally and in season, shunning anything artificial. Though Katz’s goods have already been spotted around town and can be found at various farmers’ markets, this is his first retail location. Products change based on the time of year; current offerings include Ontario strawberry rhubarb jam ($8), and black walnuts in honey ($12).
476 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-533-1079

Plastik Wrap

Recently featured in the Encyclopedia Gothica, Plastik Wrap carries alternative clothing for male and female cyberpunks, goths and those who just have a thing for black. Located a bit past the northernmost part of Roncy (which actually morphs into Dundas West), the garments are all made in Canada, and often incorporate futuristic materials and finishes. Although much of the garb is not for wallflowers, other pieces — such as a dark grey winter jacket with body-conscious piping ( on sale for $310) — will work on just about anyone. A lacy black bra with lilac edging is far more pretty than punk ($85), though a black women’s vest — with steel blue contrast panels — seems to have been snatched straight from the scenes of Blade Runner ($75). Our favourite? A pair of black armbands printed with silver storm clouds ($32). We’re pretty sure Robert Smith would approve.
2235 Dundas St. W., 416-778-4967

Out of the shower and into the theatre: sing along with Grease at the TIFF Bell Lightbox

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7:37 am

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Do you love show tunes? Can’t help but sing along with the radio? Do you ever wish that real life included spontaneous dance numbers? No? Well, for three nights this February, anyone who said yes will be closed up together in a dark room when Sing-a-long-a Grease comes to the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Celebrating 40 years since the T-Birds and Pink Ladies first hand-jived their way into our hearts, the producers of sing-along-a Sound of Music and Sing-a-long-a ABBA invite you to dust off the old leather jacket, pull on your poodle skirt and get ready for a singing and dancing ‘50s extravaganza.

Tickets include a showing of the 1978 film starring a peppy Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in his younger, handsomer, more hip-swiveling days. Audience members are urged to cheer, jeer and play along with the film. Each show includes an introduction by host Shawn Hitchins, who will give a run-down of what to yell at the screen, how to use your bag of props, and of course, proper hand-jiving techniques. It’s like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but with a little less cross-dressing and a lot more summer lovin’.

Need to warm up your vocal cords before the big night? Brush up on the lyrics to some of your favourite Grease tunes here.

Sing-a-long-a Grease, TIFF Bell Lightbox, 416-599-8433, Feb. 24-26.

Tim Hortons makes a foray into inefficiency by renaming all of its coffee sizes

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11:31 am

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As of next Monday, if you want to order a small coffee at Tim Hortons, you will have to order an “extra” small. The medium coffee we once knew will become the new small. Large will officially become medium and the extra large will become large. All of this is to make way for the new extra large — a 24 oz. cup. Confused yet? We are.

The prices will remain the same, and so will the cup measurements, which begs the question: isn’t that a lot of work just to make room for one more cup size? Of course it is. Timmies could easily have easily called the new size a “jumbo,” or, going in the vein of Starbucks, something Italian-sounding, like “immenso.”

Besides, when was the last time you heard someone in a Tim Hortons lineup say, “hey, you know what this place needs? An extra extra large.” (That’s a crazy idea: Timmies could have just called it the “extra extra large.”)

Gluttony-wise, it could be worse. Last year, Starbucks introduced a 31 oz. cup in the U.S. called the Trenta, which holds a volume slightly larger than the average size of a human stomach.

[Toronto Star]

Top Chef Canada contestant Steve Gonzales is making a cameo appearance at Niagara Street Café next month

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7:39 am

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Here’s the bad news: Niagara Street Café has been put up for sale, and its future is uncertain. The good news is that owner Anton Potvin will be bidding the place goodbye with a bit of a flourish. He’s recruited the esteemed Steve Gonzales, a Top Chef Canada contestant and the former chef de cuisine at Origin, to temporarily take over the kitchen starting Feb. 1.

Word on the street was that current chef Nick Liu would complete his last day at the restaurant on New Year’s Eve before moving on to open his own place, but he’ll be at Niagara Street Café until the end of January, Potvin tells us. Liu’s plan, as Toronto Life reported last week, is to eventually open an Asian brasserie.

Potvin wasn’t ready to disclose exactly what Gonzales has in mind for Niagara Street Café, but he said it will be a completely different menu, and, as expected, will probably have heavy Latin influences. Gonzales will be heading up the kitchen for the duration of February, and possibly longer.

As for the decision to sell the restaurant, Potvin says it’s bittersweet.

“I’ve been going through waves of seller’s remorse,” he says. “It’s been a great eight years. I don’t think it’s actually hit me yet.”

Potvin isn’t quite done with the restaurant industry yet, so keep an eye out for new projects from this entrepreneur in the future.

Weekend Warrior: wacky wannabes, snazzy sailors, a barrage of brewskis and more on our weekend to-do

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1:31 pm

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1. Telling jokes in cold places

“It’s time to get my ass kicked by a Canadian winter,” comedian Demetri Martin says of his aptly titled tour, Telling Jokes in Cold Places. His first official tour of Canada includes a stop in Toronto tonight at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. If his sweeping locks and nonchalant attitude aren’t enough to convince you to see the show, he’s also a very accomplished poet, creating a 224-word palindrome poem.

2. Ahoy, matey!

If you, like us, have spent snowmageddon daydreaming about scrapping your mittens and hightailing it to a beach, you might find a getaway vessel at the Toronto International Boat Show this weekend. With the world’s largest indoor lake and Duma, the water skiing, boat-driving pup making waves, summer doesn’t seem so far away. Tonight will kick off the special preview, and the event runs until Jan. 22 at the Direct Energy Centre.

3. Brew Year’s Day

The Brewery Market’s mantra this weekend will be this: the stronger the alcohol, the warmer you’ll be. That’s fine by us. Check out Brew Year’s Day, an event that will bring together beers from Great Lakes Brewery and Cheshire Valley, with names like Apocalypse Later, Dude Where’s My Czar? and A Waste of Men, ordering the brews will be almost as fun as drinking them.

4. Spice up your life

For those of us who really really really wanna zig-a-zig ahh, Sporty, Posh, Baby, Scary and Ginger will be at El Mocambo Saturday night — kind of. Wannabe, a Spice Girls tribute band, will be cranking out classics from ‘90s albums Spice and Spiceworld. Needless to say, we’ll be tapping into our inner adolescent, decked out in red feather boas and Adidas tear away pants.

5. The other Gretzky

If you’re not into ‘90s pop cover bands, how about something a bit more rock ‘n’ roll? Dwayne Gretzky, “everyone’s favourite cover super-band loosely named after a hockey legend,” will be performing Saturday night at the Horseshoe Tavern. The band members are always changing, and in the past have included members of Arkells and Flash Lightnin’. It’s almost impossible not to sing along to their cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.”

Q&A: Lucy the Slut, one of the many colourful characters from Lower Ossington Theatre’s Avenue Q

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12:34 pm

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Have you ever wondered what might happen if the characters from Sesame Street actually grew up and moved away? Chances are, they would escape to Avenue Q, the block where humans mix with puppets and monsters. But instead of singing about numbers and letters, the residents here sing about Internet porn and how everyone’s a little bit racist.

Of course, Avenue Q isn’t a real place. It’s a Tony-award winning musical and it opens this month in Toronto at the Lower Ossington Theatre. We caught up with one of the avenue’s favourite tenants, Lucy the Slut, to talk about life on the Q.

So how do you like living on Avenue Q?
Suits me well enough. It’s a bit of a dive. What’s a nice girl like me doing living here? But then again, I’m not a nice girl.

Who are your closest friends on the block?
Friends are an unusual choice of words. I’m reasonably close to Princeton; I like to give him advice from time to time. I think Trekkie Monster and I have a lot in common — we both have an appreciation for pleasures of the flesh — but he’s a monster , so I can’t get too close.

Who do you think is the most attractive person on Avenue Q?
Princeton. He’s something. Quite a looker. Nice kid.

Have you dated any of your neighbours?
A lady never tells. But, yes. I had a little bit of a fling with Princeton. He’s a new guy. You do the new guy. You know how it goes.

You’re a cabaret singer at the local bar, Around the Clock Cafe. Do you think you’ll ever get tired of the bar scene?
I very much doubt it. It’s exciting, it’s glamorous, you get free drinks. It’s good.

What’s your favourite song to sing at the bar?
Well, my signature piece is “Special.” But I’m also a fan of Eartha Kitt. I like her song “I Want to Be Evil” – it’s subtle.

You’re known as Lucy the Slut. Do you find that offensive at all?
Not at all. I think our society needs to get over our culture of slut shaming.

What do you think of the SlutWalks that have taken the world by storm?
All for it. All for it.

So your signature song is “Special.” So, what makes you so special when it comes to the boudoir?
I’d like to think I ‘m a giving lover. I give all kinds of things. (wink) I also have a great rack. That helps.

What was the longest relationship you’ve been in?
Give or take, a couple days. Didn’t get out much for those couple of days, but, man, what a couple of days.

Are you dating anyone right now?
Not as such. I’m exploring my options.

What’s your idea of a perfect date?
We go walking by the seaside, have a nice seafood dinner – I’m a big fan of the sea – and then we go back home and screw like rabbits for five hours.

What’s your “magic number?”
(Counts for a while…) Frankly, I’ve lost count. Less than two hundred.

So who’s the better lover: puppets, humans or monsters?
I dated a monster once. I got sick of picking the fur out of my teeth. But puppets definitely [are better]; they’ve got more flexibility, and I’m not referring to the time.

What do you do for fun?
I like playing tennis, I like swimming and roller derby.

Do you think you’ll ever settle down?
Define settle down. I might be open to a flexible marriage, but kids? Yuck. No thanks.

Will you ever leave Avenue Q?
If the right guy comes along. Someone with a ton of money, who’ll whisk me away to a Caribbean island, then, yeah, maybe.

Avenue Q, Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave., 416-915-6747. Jan. 18 – Feb. 4.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Hour: Great Lake Swimmers, Bahamas, Julie Doiron, Diamond Rings, Woodpigeon

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10:45 am

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Great Lake Swimmers announce new album, tour, streaming single

Great Lake Swimmers are readying the release of their new album, New Wild Everywhere, set to be released on April 3. A new single, “Easy Come Easy Go,” is out and available for your listening pleasure. If the first song is evidence, the new album could be a great folk-rock record, with front man Tony Dekker sounding more confident and, dare I say, happy. A tour, including a June 2 date at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall, is imminent, with red-hot singer Cold Specks pegged as the opening act.

Big days ahead for Bahamas

Word on the street is that Barchords, the upcoming album by Toronto's Afie Jurvanen, a.k.a Bahamas — slated for a Feb. 7 release in Canada — is going to blow away his last effort, 2009’s none-to-shabby, Juno-nominated Pink Strat. Jurvanen inked a deal in the United States with Jack Johnson's label, Brushfire Records, and is looking to make a major push into the market south of the border in 2012. It’s hard to think of a more fitting label for his mellow sounds than Brushfire, home to fellow rock relax-inators Johnson, Mason Jennings, Neil Halstead and Matt Costa.

Julie Doiron residency underway at Saving Gigi

As reported in the Globe and Mail, Julie Doiron has set up shop for a series of intimate shows at Toronto café Saving Gigi, where she played last night and will also play Jan. 20 and 26. The talented singer/songwriter and former member of East Coast grunge band Eric's Trip is currently working on a new album that is tentatively slated for a spring 2012 release. The shows are apparently capped at 25 people, and now that word is out, I suspect the place will fill up quickly, so be prepared to head down early.

Wavelength anniversary lineup set

The Wavelength music series has announced a massive festival slated for next month to celebrate its 12th anniversary. Running from Feb. 16-19, the lineup includes Toronto punk rockers Fucked Up, playing Feb. 17 at Steam Whistle Brewing, as well as PS I Love You, Metz, No Joy and others. The landmark concert series began at Ted's Wrecking Yard in 2000 and had a hand in the indie music explosion that happened at that time, with the likes of Broken Social Scene, Feist and the Constantines among others. The festival also includes visual art installations by Wowee Zonk, projections by General Chaos Visuals as well as workshops and a speaker series.

Diamond Rings working on new album

After a successful campaign in 2011, Toronto’s Diamond Rings, a.k.a John O'Regan, announced work on a new album via a posting on his website saying, “after a bit of a holiday break in Toronto, I'm back in Montreal and hard at work finishing what will become my next album. I'm really excited about these songs and can't wait to share them with all of you as soon as possible. I think there's something for everyone.” O'Regan's latest album, Special Affections (2010, Secret City Records) brought the dynamic performer wide acclaim and a big-time re-release in 2011 via Astralwerks.

Woodpigeon ready to fly the coop

Mark Andrew Hamilton, the one-and-only Woodpigeon, is going to be a busy guy this year with an EP being released by Boompa Records next Jan. 24. Big-time plans are afoot including much touring, album-releasing and merry making. For now, the title track of the EP, For Paulo, is available as a free download here.

Rock 'n' roll tweet of the week

Who else? The Weeknd (@theweekndxo) from Jan. 9, directed at American rapper Common: "that was the worst comeback vie ever heard. reminds me of someone's drunk uncle."

Dear Twinkies: thank you for being awesome

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8:15 am

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Times are uncertain at Hostess Inc. Earlier this week, the company filed for bankruptcy protection, which begs the question: seriously, why aren’t people eating enough Twinkies? They’re sugary sweet and they fit in the palm of your hand. It’s even a fun word to say out loud. Say it: “Twin-kie.” Didn’t that feel nice?

Torontonians, though, have no need to worry about an impending Twinkie shortage. CTV reports that Saputo holds the rights to the Hostess brand in Canada and operates as a separate entity. (Phew.) But since everyone’s talking about it, here are five ways that Twinkies have helped shape our culture (for the better, of course).

1. Film and television. How else should one explain the magnitude of paranormal activity in New York City? With a Twinkie of course. In Ghostbusters, Egon’s 600-pound Twinkie analogy was kind of out of left field, but awesome nonetheless. Then there’s Twinkie the Kid, the mascot wrangler that wears gloves, boots and a 10-gallon hat. In a 1985 Twinkies commercial, he asked, “ever wonder how they get the creamy filling in the middle of a Twinkies cake?” to which one girl whizzing down a slide guessed, “it’s just born there!” Thank you for that moment, Twinkies.

2. Books. As part of its 75^th anniversary, the folks at Hostess put together 112 pages of Twinkie recipes. Somehow, they thought the idea of combining everyday foods with the four-inch Twinkie was a great idea. You’d never think about eating any of it in your life: turkey stuffed with Twinkies, anyone? Also, if you are a Twinkie lover, Steven Ettlinger’s book, Twinkie, Deconstructed, might not be for you. He spent five years researching all 39 Twinkie ingredients. Who knew that Twinkies had cellulose gum in them (found in rocket fuel) and corn dextrin (the glue found on the seal of envelopes)? As a random side point, how cool is this name: Twinkie Chan? Chan hasn’t written any books, but aren’t you jealous your parents didn’t come up with that name for you? Just a little bit?

3. Nutrition. If you’re watching your weight (and clearly you’re not if you’re eating Twinkies), you may want to try the 10-week Twinkie diet. Last year, one professor ate a Twinkie or other packaged snack every three hours — instead of meals — and lost 27 pounds. Yep, eating junky, sickly sweets has it rewards. And, if you are openly trying to stack the weight on, you may want to try the deep-fried bacon-stuffed Twinkie. With so many things wrong about it, just go with the mantra that anything deep-fried has to be good.

4. Science. In 1995, Todd Stadler and Christopher Gouge dedicated themselves to the science of the Twinkie to determine its properties in a series of experiments. They zapped it with electricity (Twinkies pass no current), tested its gravitational response (its impact from a great height is small) and calculated how dense it is (for something that is 68 per cent air, Twinkies taste good).

5. Law. Ah, the “Twinkie defense.” During the ‘79 Dan White trial (the guy who murdered then-San Francisco mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk), White’s defense team argued that he had a diminished mental capacity, and shouldn’t be guilty of first-degree murder. Why? Because he ate sugar-laden foods like Twinkies, which meant that he was depressed.

And, if worse comes to worst and Twinkies do disappear from the face of the earth, you can always make your own.

Why Toronto loves Nicolas Cage

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1:37 pm

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If you’re one of the many cinephiles who thinks that there haven’t been nearly enough Nicolas Cage movies lately, this is your year. Not only does it seem like Cage will star in just about every movie of 2012 (even a Ghost Rider sequel is necessary, apparently), but TIFF Bell Lightbox is launching a new midnight series this month: Bangkok Dangerous: The Cinema Of Nicolas Cage.

The series is an eclectic mix of films that showcases the many talents and varied characters of the thespian/weirdo/action hero/wild man. No matter where Cage has fallen on Hollywood’s food chain in recent years, from Oscar winner to Blockbuster Entertainment Award winner, Cage’s performances are, if anything, memorable. From his maniacal performance in the black comedy Vampire’s Kiss to his rockabilly-aw-shucks-I’m-gonna-kick-yer-ass act in Con Air, Cage rarely disappoints in delivering his lines with sheer, uh, gusto, along with that Cage-y je ne sais quoi.

In commemoration of his long overdue tribute, here are our five favourite Nicholas Cage moments:

The Rock (1996)

We don’t think anyone has, or ever will, convincingly say “A-hole” with such a straight face. And mean it, gosh darn it!

The Wicker Man (2006)

Has there ever been a freak out this bad over burned toast? No. And there shouldn’t be.

Valley Girl (1983)

In less than two minutes, Cage professes his love and then tells her off. In doing so, he for sure, like, totally nails what it feels like to be in love as a teen.

Con Air (1997)

We all hope to one day either be, or meet, a grown man so attached to a stuffed animal that he’d kill for it. Right?

Vampire’s Kiss (1989)

Yep, this pretty much sums up the weird wonderfulness of Cage.

Bangkok Dangerous: The Cinema Of Nicolas Cage, TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King Street W., 416-968-3456. Jan. 28 – April 7.

Grab of the Week: a striking quartz necklace by an up-and-coming Toronto talent

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12:22 pm

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There’s nothing we love more than discovering new talent in the city, and we recently scored a good find. After complimenting friend after friend and acquaintance after acquaintance on their eye-catching neck jewellery of choice, we were finally led to the lady behind it all: 22-year-old Asia Clarke.

Let us explain. Clarke, who designs under the name The Wild Moon, creates unisex art-based jewellery that is inspired by nature, often using crystals and stones that have long-purported spiritual powers (such as rose quartz and black onyx). What we love most is her fusion of natural materials, tribal influences and geometric shapes that result in striking pieces with an organic, art-deco aesthetic.

“Creating art is a way that I explore my fears, hopes, dreams and regrets and put them into a physical form,” she tells us. “Major inspiration has also come from my favourite book, Women Who Run with the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.”

We suggest running over to Pretty Freedom in Kensington Market to pick up her latest design (pictured), the PRAY necklace, which hits the shop floor today.

$60. Available at Pretty Freedom, 165 Augusta Ave., 416-551-8100

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.

Zero-mile diet: five tips for the aspiring urban farmer

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10:38 am

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Last Sunday at the Noor Cultural Centre, Kathleen Ko from Young Urban Farmers guided 60 people on the finer points of how to set up a veggie garden in an urban setting. The good thing is that it’s not as hard as you might expect. The bad thing is that it’s still going to require some time (and who in Toronto has any of that to spare?). For the truly motivated, here are five things you’ll need to become a farmer in the city.

1. Sun. Lots of sun. Any unused space that catches a lot of sun, like a balcony, deck or even your rooftop will be gold for plants or veggies. A vegetable garden should have at least six hours of sun per day. If you’re growing indoors, south-facing windows are the brightest. If you can’t find a sunny area but still want to grow some edibles, don’t despair. Ferns — like fiddleheads — can thrive in shady areas, and so can mushrooms.

2. Soil. If your budget is low, head to a nearby park to grab some soil. We won’t judge. Don’t forget to ensure proper drainage, otherwise your veggies will drown.

3. Tools of the trade. If you’re growing on a balcony or indoors, you’ll need containers. This is a good chance to re-purpose some items (Young Urban Farmers even suggests using an old bathtub). Smaller hand tools such as a trowel and pruners are also good to have, along with a watering can. But the most important tool will be your hands. And yes, they will get dirty.

4. Seedlings. It’s probably best to initiate one’s foray into urban farming with started plants — which can be bought at places like Urban Harvest — rather than seeds. Leafy greens and herbs are best for beginners. If you’re venturing into other produce, Ko suggests picking varieties that you know you'll eat. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and other salad greens are good choices, and if you have a chain link fence, consider climbing plants like cucumbers, beans and peas.

5. An urban farmer’s mindset. Think like an urban farmer. Dress like an urban farmer. Talk like an urban farmer. Chances are, you’ll have some disappointments (and successes) along the way, but don’t throw in the towel. With Toronto’s urban farming movement on the rise, there are plenty of others in the same boat. Talk with them.