It’s National Bourbon Heritage Month. Here’s the lowdown on bourbon, and some of the best spots in the city to indulge

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My father taught me many things — including how to properly enjoy a good drink — but there’s one topic on which I fear we’ll never see eye-to-eye: bourbon versus rye. For him, it translates to America versus Canada. But September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, and despite Pop’s indignation with my anti-patriotic tastes, I can’t help but gush about the boundless merits of my favourite spirit.

Without disregarding the number of great rye whiskies available, there’s something inexplicably intoxicating about bourbon. I’m not alone in thinking this. I dare you to hunt down a professional bartender or spirits enthusiast who doesn’t obsess over — or at the very least, appreciate — bourbon. It’s no secret that the American spirit has undergone a renaissance over the past few years, and fortunately that means single-barrel and small-batch bourbons are becoming easier to order in Toronto’s bars.

So what’s all the fuss about? What bestows this sweet and toasty spirit with such mass appeal?

For starters, its flavour. To qualify as bourbon, American whiskey must be at least 51 per cent corn and aged in new, charred American white oak casks, a process which lends the spirit its distinctive red hue, along with a range of pleasant sensory complexities including notes of vanilla, caramel, peach, honey, wood, spice, charcoal, nut and orange peel. The majority of bourbon distillers employ sour mash fermentation, a process that reuses a portion of the grain mash at the end of a distillation process, adding it to a new batch to improve balance and consistency.

A staple in classics like the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan and the Mint Julep, bourbon is named after its origin of distillation: Bourbon County, Kentucky (otherwise known as my Mecca). Officially dubbed America’s “native spirit” in 1964, bourbon emerged in the 1770s when the land we now identify as the bluegrass state gained notoriety for its fertile, thickly-forested terrain and abundant pure water sources. The rolling southern hills were the perfect environment for corn, a prolific and low-maintenance crop.

Essential to bourbon’s evolution was the influx of Irish, German, French and Scottish settlers that began calling America their new home at the end of the 18th century, bringing with them cultural inclinations for distillation and an appetite for hearty liquor. Many iconic bourbon distilleries were established at this point, including Elijah Craig, Robert Samuels (of Maker’s Mark) and Jacob Beam.

The detailed history of bourbon is long and opaque, and with only a few days left in National Bourbon Heritage Month, it’s best you sample some for yourself instead of just reading about it. Blaze your own bourbon trail across the city and sip on a little bit of American history at these fine establishments:

Southern Accent offers bourbon tastings, complete with tasting notes. Choose four half-ounce samplers from four price categories ($12). Options include Wild Turkey, Elmer T. Lee, Corner Creek and Buffalo Trace. 595 Markham Street, 416-536-3548

The Red Light’s Nic Savage has equipped his bar with a mean bourbon arsenal. Sample some single-batch goodness like Blanton’s Special Reserve ($9) and Four Roses Small Batch ($7.50) in well-weighted tumblers. 1185 Dundas Street West, 416-533-6667

The Drake Hotel boasts an impressive bourbon selection including some personal favourites like Eagle Rare ($11) and Van Winkle Special Reserve ($14). 1150 Queen Street West, 416-531-5042

The Comrade offers a selection of bourbons including Jefferson’s Very Small Batch ($12) and Booker’s ($14). 758 Queen Street East, 416-778-9449

Band of the Week: Great Bloomers

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This relatively young band has been making some pretty big waves in the few years they’ve been together, garnering praise from local music rags and the likes of Gordon Lightfoot. It’s no wonder: Great Bloomers mix genres like a group of chemists, combining just the right doses of country, indie and ‘70s-era stadium rock to create pristine explosions of sound.

There are hints of an Arcade Fire influence here, but that belies the intimate nature of many of the songs, which bring John K. Sampson to mind more than Win Butler. The band’s debut full-length, Speak of Trouble, has already earned them well-deserved recognition and they’re now working on the follow-up.

We caught up with lead vocalist and songwriter Lowell Sostomi to talk about what the future has in store for Great Bloomers.

What do you put more stock in, the lyrics or the melody?
You need both. I spend a lot more time on lyrics, as the messages in the songs are much more complex then the melodies. I think melodies should be simple.

What's the songwriting process like for you guys?
I write all the songs and bring them to the band, where we all arrange and color them together.

One of the things I really like about your sound is the way you manage to incorporate so many different styles into your songs, but yet manage to make it sound cohesive. Is that something you strive for or do you find it comes more naturally?
It was never something I did intentionally. I love all kinds of music and could never be happy honing in on just one particular sound. It's important for me as a songwriter to keep my options open as best I can.

You're working on your second album. How's it coming along?
I am extremely proud of how everything has developed in anticipation of recording. We have been doing our best to prepare the new material, while leaving room for the tunes to grow in the studio. It feels like it's our third album, as I wrote and scrapped an entire album's worth of material. So I am really ready to lay something down.

Are you approaching the new album differently from the first one or the EP in any way?
Completely different. It’s a new sound, new ideas and an entirely new band. I'm the only person in our band who played on Speak Of Trouble. This record will be a lot more moody and we're going to try to capture as much live-performance energy as possible.

It seems like you guys tour pretty extensively. Are there any big shows or tours you've got coming up?
We’re playing Oct. 14 with Yukon Blonde at Lee's Palace.

Recommended track: “Honey Blanket”

Video: “The Young Ones Slept”

Great Bloomers are:
Lowell Sostomi — vocals, guitar, harmonica
Tony McKnight — bass
Kyle Watt — drums
Shawn Dell — keys, vocals
Tim Moxam — guitars, vocals

Ty Trumbull is a Toronto writer. He works as an editor at 680News and can be seen playing banjo with his band, The Sure Things, every Monday at the The Dakota Tavern.

The Breakfast Hub: city council approves $27.6-million in cuts, gridlock gets expensive, Canadian life expectancy goes up and more

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City council approved some cuts and rejected others yesterday to bring the total savings to $27.6 million. Among the cuts, council voted to seek buyers for the Toronto Zoo and the city’s three government-owned theatres.
[Toronto Star; Toronto Sun]

Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump

It’s not a surprise that the GTA has the worst gridlock in the country (and beyond), and it’s hurting our economy. Gridlock is costing our economy $6-billion in productivity, and this loss is set to climb to $15-billion annually in coming years.
[Globe and Mail]

According to new statistics, Canadians are expected to live even longer, with the average life expectancy having raised to 80.9 years.
[Toronto Sun]

The manager of the soon-to-be-completed Trump International Hotel & Tower at Bay and Adelaide says he’s not sure whether connecting the luxe hotel to PATH is such a good idea. Apparently, it would hinder the Trump tradition of greeting hotel guests by name as they enter the lobby.
[National Post]

A Toronto teacher’s backpacking adventure could have been a bit more luxurious had he known about the $21.4 million dollar winning lottery ticket sitting on his fridge back home. Craig Henshaw did not realize he had won, until he checked the ticket upon his return.
[Toronto Sun]

Toronto gets its own edition of the A.V. Club, the non-parodic, arts and culture-oriented sister publication to The Onion

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Remember when Toronto used to be a “two blog” town? When BlogTO and Torontoist were the main players when it came to local, and locally reported, online content? Thanks to new(ish) startups like Toronto Standard and OpenFile, it’s fair to say that our online media landscape is changing. As in, our two-voice-strong chorus has turned into a veritable cacophony.

Today, we’ve bookmarked yet another website offering more (or less) of the same, Toronto-oriented, arts and culture content. A.V. Club Toronto went live today, and we took a few minutes to chat with the new site’s editor (and occasional Post City contributor), John Semley.

So, what’s the A.V. Club Toronto?
Well, it’s actually kind of confusing. The Onion has a print edition in a handful of American Cities. And inside the print edition is the A.V. Club — which is The Onion’s sister publication — which does arts and culture, and entertainment stuff. It’s real — not satirical or parodic or anything. In that, there’s a section with local content: listings, film, music, and comedy stuff that’s going on in town. But all of this print stuff throws to the real meat and potatoes, which is the website. And the website — for us that’s the A.V. Club Toronto — covers arts and culture stuff in Toronto, with the same irreverent tone as the A.V. Club national. It’s there, online, that most of the action will be happening. We’ll have recurring features, interviews, foodie stuff from around town, a concert calendar and so on.

So you’ll be overseeing A.V. Club Toronto print and web editions?
I’ll be overseeing the entire thing. I’m nursing the entire thing at my teat! I might have to get an intern or two, sooner or later.

When does the A.V. Club Toronto officially launch?
It launches on Tuesday, Sept. 27. And there’s a launch party at The Drake on the 28 — where we’ll have print copies available. Officially, the print edition goes on the street, on racks, on the 29.

Speaking of which, how’s the print edition being distributed?
Well, I don’t have the full breakdown right in front of me, but we have the same number of issues in the Toronto as Chicago or New York — which are ostensibly bigger markets. So there’s, I think, about 50,000 a week that go out. A bulk of that will be available around Ryerson, U of T, York — college-y areas. Then there’ll be racks out where all the other weeklies and freebies can be found — where you find t.o.night and Xtra and all those other ones. Then they’ll be newsies, I think [laughs]. I always feel embarrassed for the Metro ones! I guess they work, though. TorStar handles all of this for us.

Yeah, so what is the relationship with TorStar?
It's separate but connected. I work with both The Onion and ToStar. Basically, TorStar is the publisher of The Onion and the A.V. Club Toronto.

I guess your Torontoist experience is coming in handy?
Totally — yeah! Torontoist just went through that redesign, and switched from Movable Type to WordPress. And when I got this job, I had to adapt to another content management system with The Onion — but I think my mind was still spongy from the switchover [at Torontoist], so I picked the new system up pretty quick.

Certainly, Torotoist helped me develop my voice and tone. A clearly defined editorial voice. And I kind of built that from scratch at Torontoist over the last couple of years. And covering film and music stuff for Torontoist — writing far too many stories in a week — also helped. Also, the associate editor of The Onion was a former editor at Chicagoist. So he understood the work of running and working for one of those types of sites.

And what will the A.V. Club Toronto’s tone be?
I’d say: smart, irreverent — aimed at college-educated people who love arts stuff and culture stuff but also have the kind of withered skepticism of 65-year old man at the same time. The unofficial catch-all of the A.V. Club is “cautiously optimistic” which, I think, is a good way to sum up the tone.

I actually have a chart of what every post should sound like. "It should at least have one of these elements, and one of these elements. It should be well-reported and irreverent.” But I don’t really want to get into the algebra of that [laughs].

How does the A.V. Club Toronto fit into Toronto’s media landscape? Do we have a need or a market for another Toronto-focused site?
Yes, we do have a lot of interesting online stuff. Well, That’s the one thing that I’ll have to figure out on the fly. I mean, as excited as I was to get this job, I was terrified to leave Torontoist for this — because Torontoist is kind of the behemoth of this kind of local reporting. The one thing is that A.V. Club Toronto is all arts and culture based. Which is not to say there won’t be other stuff. I mean, given the tenuous status of arts and culture under the Ford administration, there’s sort of an obvious overlap between the arts and civics these days. So, it's not going to be entirely a-political or anything like that.

It also has the advantage of having the brand name associated with it, which will bring a lot of good people in. Actually, The Onion just brought in a paywall; you can only read five articles before you have to pay. So I’m hoping that drives people to look for the physical editions!

Wait, so this paywall effects the A.V. Club's website, too?
No no no, it doesn’t effect the A.V. Club at all. It’s just for The Onion — for the comedy stuff. My hope is to get a lot of good writers in, and to get a lot of good recurring features.

To go back to where we fit in with the site, I really want to think myself around stuff like traditional Q&As… to say "it’ll be fun!" makes it sounds stupid… but, yeah, kind of slightly outside of the box thinking.

We want to report on stuff in a way that’s engaging, not totally wordy, not going The Grid way where everything’s an infographic — and there are no words. I don’t want to harangue The Grid because they’ve paid me a bit to write stuff. And I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad publication, but Eye Weekly is gone. And Eye Weekly used to be this vibrant voice for 20 and 30-somethings. And then The Grid kind of became run by these 50 and 60-somethings. It’s like they’re trying to dust off Led Zeppelin records to try to give to kids or something like that. So I hope A.V. Club Toronto can kind of fill that void. And hopefully — and I know this sounds sort of prosaic self-aggrandizing — it’ll be a thing that people in their mid-twenties, thirties — renters with disposable incomes, who are kind of half-suspicious about authority — are really excited about. I hope we tap into something there. To do that, I hope to hire people who are like that to write.

I’m glad you outlined the distinction between The Onion and the A.V. Club—
—Yeah! [Laughs] I’m getting a lot of comedy pitches which I can’t stand! Oh my God, I’m like, not only is this not funny — but I have no use for it at all!

I think I know how I want my business card to read:

Editor, A.V. Club Toronto
Absolutely No Comedy Pitches.

But it does sound like you’ll have a bit of a satirical or humourous approach to some items.
Yeah, It’ll be funny, right? Ever since Sean O’Neil, who’s the news editor of The A.V. Club proper, took over, I think the real news coverage of The A.V. Club has gotten as funny as the satirical stuff on The Onion. But it’s like Jezebel or Gawker — where you are writing about real things, but you can take funny jabs.

Since we’re on the subject of humour: who, in your opinion, is most deserving of some satirical treatment right now?
Ha — well, who do you think? I don’t want to say Ford, because, I dunno, it’s too obvious I guess. I get sort of reactionary-punk-ish about these things. I mean, there are all these people who’re starting these one-off Ford things to protest the cuts… like, "We’re going to turn Ford’s office into a daycare! We’re going to squat in his parking spot all day!" And there’s 90 different things a day. You know, I think those things are pretty funny. They’re earnest, and it’s great that these things are working and that people don’t like the mayor anymore, but… yeah, as far as who’s most deserving, I might say anyone but Rob Ford. How about Doug Ford? He’s harder to caricature; he’s like the Lady MacBeth of the whole thing.

When the A.V. Club Toronto editor position was listed, it clearly stated: PLEASE, NO COMEDY, PHONE CALLS OR OFFICE VISITS. Did you adhere to these guidelines?
No, totally! I made, like, one joke in my cover letter. It wasn’t even a joke. Because in the application they were like "get ready to tape up your hockey stick… and put together your Rush mix tape,” and all these bullshit things of what America thinks Canada is. So the only joke in my application was that I wrote, "For the record, I can put together a superlative Rush mixtape." Which isn’t even a joke, because I can.

And your strategy worked!
It worked. I managed to deceive and beguile them into giving me the job. Before I’m eventually overthrown by a fleet of interns.

Trending in Theatre: Another Africa, Suddenly Mommy!, The Studio, Chess The Musical, Bigger Than Jesus

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Another Africa

The hit of Luminato 2010, this high-tech staging weaves a sharp-witted and entertaining story about the relationship between Africa and the West.
Bluma Appel Theatre at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East, 416-366-7723. Sept. 29 – Oct. 22.

Suddenly Mommy!

A joyous surprise for some, a stressful surprise for others. Anne Marie Scheffler explores her experience with being called the M word in her new solo comedy about motherhood.
Red Sandcastle Theatre, 922 Queen Street East, 416-845-9411. Sept. 26-Oct. 9.

The Studio

If you’re in the mood for something really artsy, Young People’s Theatre is showcasing a unique dance performance as four young dancers use their bodies, objects, lighting and projections to bring visual art to life. It’s good for the kids, too.
Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front Street East, 416-862-2222. Sept. 26-Oct. 6.

Chess The Musical

This unique musical seems to have it all: Tim Rice’s words, ABBA’s music, elaborate costumes (with shades of the Village People) and a nail-biting chess competition (although, the real contest is over the love of a woman, naturally).
Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King Street West, 416-872-1212. Sept. 28-Oct. 30.

Bigger Than Jesus

Who’s bigger than Jesus? Rick Miller! Well, maybe not. But the actor-writer definitely presents a thought-provoking theatrical event that asks the big questions.
Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street, 416-504-9971. Sept. 29-Oct. 9.

The Breakfast Hub: bachelor’s degrees aren’t lucrative, taking a free ride on the TTC, no private toll lanes for the DVP and more

7:55 am

For university graduates in Canada, a bachelor’s degree may not be enough. Numbers from OECD show that one in five university graduates in Canada will end up at the low end of the income scale. Guess it’s time to sign up for that master’s. Sigh.
[Globe and Mail]

With all these meetings at City Hall, astounding progress on budget cuts must have been made, right? Council is set to endorse or reject a series of cuts this morning that would apparently save the city $29-million in 2012. Wait… that’s it?!
[Toronto Star]

A toll tale: Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday suggested studying the addition of private toll lanes to the Don Valley Parkway in the city council meeting yesterday. Fortunately, members of council defeated the idea before the public had the opportunity to ridicule it.
[Globe and Mail]

Councillor Paula Fletcher believes de-amalgamation could help relieve some of the $774-million budget deficit predicted for 2012 and plans to ask council to initiate it.
[National Post]

According to this photo from a Toronto Sun reader, it looks someone took the phrase “riding on the back of the bus” a little too seriously. Either that, or the fare was just too steep.
[Toronto Sun]

The Dressing Room: how I survived 10 sleep-deprived, malnourished, partied-out days of TIFF

2:18 pm

The Toronto International Film Festival blows in and out of my life each year like a hyper-active cyclops with a giant propeller pack on its back, knocking its way through 10 days without regard for basic needs such as sleep or diet. Its giant monster eye has only one point of focus: a long red carpet.

But despite popular assumption, these red carpets do not always lead to kick-up-your-party-heels-fun, at least not when automated blackout blinds and eight hours of R.E.M. sleep are what you desire.

When watching an average of three films (usually emotionally-involved, subtitled, foreign dramas) per day, spaced between three interviews with the actors and/or directors of said films per day, rushing home just in time to skip dinner and figure out how to transform from critically-fatigued festival journalist to giddy glamorous festival partygoer is not an ideal after work ritual. But this transformation routine always becomes static hard clockwork for my 10-days of TIFF.

Feeling especially worn this festival from my hefty screening/interview schedule, I wanted to do anything but scamper about my house trying to get ready in less than 30 minutes for premiere parties where the bulk of guests have a fleet of hair stylists, makeup artists, fashion stylists and a good two or three hours behind their evening’s look. With the urge to revisit the glory days of simple Velcro sneakers pulsing strong, it became necessary to crack a red carpet style-plan that would allow me a 10-minute sanity-saving nap here and there. My devised attack strategy: Bet, Borrow and Steal.

Step One: Bet

After consecutive nights of maximizing on the city’s 4 a.m. festival license at hot spots like Goodnight Gansevoort, where such celebrities as Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and his longtime girlfriend, actress Jennifer Westfeldt (both in town for the premiere of their film Friends with Kids), were spotted winding down their evening, you can count on falling asleep with a full face of makeup on at least one night. Even if you are a well-programmed robot about washing your face, you can “Bet” that the stress of late nights and early mornings, on top of pushing nutrition to the wayside for the demands of TIFF, will render your skin dry and congested with dead skin cells and in need of a serious buff and rehydration.

Knowing that my laziness would have me relying on inefficient wipes to “wash” my face during the festival, I scheduled a facial at the spa at the The Hazelton Hotel in and around the halfway mark to rejuvenate my skin. The epic name of my signature facial treatment: Vitality of the Glaciers. It’s no red herring. The Prime Generation line from Valmont and a chilled 100 per cent collagen mask soothed my tired lines and saved me from faking a dewy complexion with a swipe of liquid highlighter across my cheekbones, allowing me to go sheer with a genuine healthy glow gained from the relaxing facial treatment. (Tip: For those with pores that are feeling especially clogged and irritated, add a purifying pack mask before the collagen to cleanse and calm.)

In the end, the overall value of a facial is the time saved in the future; clear, glowing skin eliminates the need for camouflaging your face with layers of foundation and concealer, amongst other things, taking a good hour off of your prep time when primping for an event — leaving you time to do things you might otherwise not have to do, like eating, going to the bathroom and feeding your dog.

Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt at Goodnight Gansevoort (Image: David Lee/Getty Images)

Step Two: Borrow

Like a happy bride, sometimes it’s good luck to “Borrow” a fashion accessory from a style-savvy friend, especially when that friend is Swarovski.

A quick perusal through the brand’s fall Wings of Fantasy collection at its festival pop-up showroom in the Park Hyatt hotel fills me with confidence that the addition of any one of the collection’s items will elevate even the starkest of cocktail dresses to something dazzlingly TIFF gala-worthy.

During my visit to the sparkly pop-up, I was on the hunt for something to glam up a simple, solid black dress. After consulting with one of Swarovski’s expert representatives, I decide on skipping a necklace (despite the beauty of the dark blue, purple and turquoise Swarovski crystals in the Parade necklace nearly causing swooning) and keeping to a simple bracelet and ring combination with a twinkling bag to tie it all together.

The only downside of borrowing: returning.

Sparkling Swarovski (Image: Erin Palmer)

Step Three: Steal

This final step is more a way of managing your purse strings rather than encouraging sticky fingers.

Too often, shoppers seeking the perfect cocktail outfit mistake high dollar value with an item’s one-of-a-kind character. Rarity — being ranked at the top of the perfect dress checklist followed by chameleon-quality and timeless style — is believed by many to be well worth delving deep into one’s pockets to attain possession of a single clothing item. But, grand and persuasive though the mirrored dressing rooms of high-end department stores may be, sometimes the most unrivaled of outfits are found in the most unlikely of spots for nothing short of a “Steal.”

Whenever I’m in the market for one-of-a-kind, I turn to my favourite vintage stores. For cocktail attire, I like going the route of separates rather than a dress, and for this I head to Parkdale for a visit to Stella Luna (1627 Queen St. West, 416-536-7300).

Curated by owner Crispian Underwood, the retro yet runway-ready fashions at Stella Luna are easily paired with modern finds. Well stocked for fall (and still stocking), shoppers in need of a party look would do well at pairing a sequined top found on the racks of any major label store with shorts, a skirt, pants and/or a blazer available from Underwood’s current offerings.

Aside from being amongst the most well-curated vintage collections in the city, the store also boasts the badge of Toronto’s best fashion find in terms of cost and quality of product — a must-stop for any shopper who values fashion as much as their bank account.

And just like that, adhering to this three step plan, I managed to survive the devastation of the TIFF party Cyclops. Now, to catch up on 10 days of sleep and try not to die of scurvy. Step one: get off of the saltine crackers diet.

Toronto-based writer Jennifer Lee is the editorial director of FILLER magazine, an online fashion and culture journal. She is also the co-editor of Hardly magazine, an arts-centric online teen publication for Canadian girls. Her column, The Dressing Room, appears regularly.

The Breakfast Hub: the Canadian Air and Space Museum closes, keeping track of toddlers with GPS, the new Red Rocket’s accessibility problems and more

9:58 am

Torontonians will no longer be able to let their imaginations take off at the Canadian Air and Space Museum. The museum closed its doors to visitors this weekend following an eviction notice from Downsview Park.
[Toronto Sun]

More controversy surrounds in-vitro fertilization as University of Toronto researchers discover a possible link between it and rare genetic disorders.
[National Post]

Technology is the way of the future. But when we start keeping track of our kids by using GPS, are we just getting plain lazy?
[Globe and Mail]

Accessibility may not be all that easy with the new Rocket trains. Some wheelchair users are reporting problems getting onto the new train at certain stations. Looks like the TTC has a few kinks to work out in the system.
[Toronto Star]

Sunday’s fourteen cuts bring the Maple Leafs roster down to 29. Going into the final three pre-season games with six cuts remaining, everyone’s wondering: who’s next?
[Toronto Star]

Philip Sparks launches his first trunk show at Smash

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Philip Sparks — local fashion designer, modern dandy and other half of NOW Magazine’s Andrew Sardone — recently launched his very first trunk show at Smash in the Junction this week. Going strong since Wednesday (“we’ve been quite busy,” notes a sales associate), the carefully curated show will continue until Sept. 25, after which it will move to an as-of-yet undisclosed location.

Featuring key pieces from Sparks’ fall/winter 2011 collection, the space was created in collaboration with Smash owner Paul Mercer. In a press release, Sparks notes that as the show moves around town, he will continue to work with both “retailers and other creative partners who are inspired by the same vintage feel as our brand.”

Featuring looks for both men and women, our favourite pieces from the trunk show include the instantly-covetable army green jacket with an enormous shearling collar; a charming red, white and blue checkered dress; and a sharply tailored suit which will immediately lend the wearer a dapper air.

Sadly, we didn’t spot any of the maple-leaf print pieces, though we suppose that means we’ll just have to follow the show around till we do.

Smash, 2880 Dundas St. W., 416-762-3113

What the Fashion Tweeps are Saying: tweets from Coco Rocha, Philip Sparks, Karen Kwinter, The Bay

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Every week, we gather our favourite tweets from in and around Toronto’s fashion scene. This week we’ve got VIP party invites from The Bay, top picks from the Philip Sparks Trunk Show and reading suggestions from Canadian Living’s Karen Kwinter.

Okay, it’s officially fall, and chilly out too! @DrakeGenrlStore has got the perfect purchase to keep cozy:

Happy first day of fall!It may be warm but our thoughts are filled w/ blankets bit.ly/qWa89c yfrog.com/nx1altsj

The only way to party is to party like a rock star (or a VIP, at least) says @TheHudsonsBayco, and they’re taking you out!

Party like a VIP in a different city with @HugoBoss. One Night. All Access. No regrets. Enter to win here t.co/S6Pf2q3J

Make sure you’ve picked the right pieces and the right fits before busting out that credit card. You can now get professional help when shopping at @TNTfashion. Hooray!

Looking for a one-on-one wardrobe consult? Book a date with @TNTStylist ! TNT's #PersonalShopping Divison now launched! t.co/VkRQyyXI

Toronto-based designer @philipsparks has got a pop-up style trunk show in the junnction until Sunday. Here’s a sneak peak of the best buys:

Best Junction Trunk Shop buys @smashca fb.me/KRJT2eRV

Not only does she hang out with Karl Lagerfeld, but she also gets snapped by the world’s original street style photographer. Oh to be Canadian supermodel, @cocorocha!

I forgot to post this instagram with Mr. Bill Cunningham at the Karl Lagerfeld event 2 weeks ago. say.ly/aQnKn4

In search of a new novel? @karenkwinter, Canadian Living’s style editor-at-large has got a tip for you:

The Rules of Civility is one of those impossibly good books that are so hard to put down. I am almost finished and I will miss it terribly!

Here there be cyborgs: Toronto gets its first Cyborg camp (yes, that’s a real thing)

1:26 pm

Toronto’s first CyborgCamp hits our city this Saturday, promising a low-cost, day-long opportunity to klatch with folks who know about the simpler things in life such as quantified self, robots and what else? Cyborgs. Feeling a little too, um, intellectually intimidated to go? Here are some tips on how get your cyborg on at CyborgCamp, even if you never made it past high school science and math.

What is CyborgCamp?

According to the CyborgCamp Oregon site, CyborgCamp is a “conversation about the future of technology, and how humans fit in.” Which sounds, ahem, simple enough. It started back in 2008, when some Cyborg enthusiasts in Oregon, such as Cyborg anthropologist Amber Case, had a conversation over Twitter, and the idea for CyborgCamp emerged. The event was largely organized over Twitter, and planned out using a wiki site. The event was live streamed, and folks tuned in from 50 countries. Since then, the camp has also been organized in San Paulo, Brazil, and now it’s here, in Toronto. Speakers include the inventor of the first wiki, Ward Cunningham, and a real cyborg. All CyborgCamps are "unconferences."

Tip: if you go, you should probably be techie enough to know what a wiki is, but don’t worry if you’re not into Twitter; Toronto organizer Eric Boyd says he and his fellow organizers are not huge Tweeters, either.

Yikes! A real cyborg?

Relax. We’re not talking the Borg here. The real cyborg at the first camp was just a person with an insulin pump. Because cyborgs are part humans and part machine, think about how many of us have machines (like pacemakers, or insulin pumps) inside us. According to the camp, they’re cyborgs. You can find a much more eloquent discussion of that here.

Tip: don’t freak out if someone introduces himself or herself as a cyborg.

What the heck is an unconference?

Anyone who registers can give a talk, and those listening to the talk are encouraged to contribute as much as possible. While some speakers have been organized, other talks are likely to emerge.

Tip: this ain’t your typical sit-in-the-back-of-the-room-hungover-from-the-night-before-and-sleep type of conference.

Tell me again what exactly people will be talking about?

Boyd says he’s looking forward to the DIY Transhuman talk, which is about wearable electronics that dispose new human senses. Boyd created a compass anklet called the North Paw that vibrates when the person wearing it faces north. Since it’s DIY, Boyd sells an assembly kit for the device. He’s also hoping for a quantifed self session, which, in a nutshell, is about using our everyday devices like our smartphone for self improvement, like tracking how much exercise you get to improve your health.

Tip: use your smart phone to quantify how much smarter you’re getting by attending this unconference.

Yes, but will there be robots?

Yes. There will be at least one: a telepresence robot, who can be controlled over the Internet. When someone is telecommuting, a telepresence robot can become a person’s remote “presence” in the room, showing livestreaming video about what’s going on.

Tip: it’s ok to go to CyborgCamp just to see the robots, they’re cool. But don’t let the real CyborgCamp-goers know that’s the only reason why you’re there. It may be uncouth.

Note: tickets are are no longer available, but you can still show up at the door on Saturday and get in at a lower cost, though you’ll miss out on the provided lunch.

CyborgCamp Toronto, Tranzac, 292 Brunswick Ave., Sept. 24.

From TV fixture to film fixer: Q&A with Afghan Luke star Stephen Lobo

12:19 pm

After a relatively late start in a gritty industry, Toronto-born Stephen Lobo has had a consistent role on screen for the past five years, including past roles in major Canadian and American TV shows like Godiva’s, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Smallville, Falcon Beach and Painkiller Jane. His latest starring role is in the Canadian film Afghan Luke, directed by Mike Clattenburg (Trailer Park Boys).

The film, which had its Canadian premiere at TIFF, tracks a Canadian journalist’s (Nick Stahl) journey to Afghanistan after his controversial story about Canadian snipers gets nixed. Along with his aloof Afghan fixer (Lobo), he is confronted with the unforgiving reality of the Afghan war. The movie officially opens worldwide tonight. We caught up with Lobo at his Vancouver home.

What’s a major difference for you between acting for TV and film?
For me the biggest difference, because I’m theatre-trained, is having the whole story in front of you in a film, and it’s easier to make choices as an actor in this finite world that the writers have created. But there’s something satisfying about the beginning, middle and end, and immersing yourself in a role. In TV, though, you don’t know where the story is going, and often times the writers don’t know where the story’s going, either. A cool thing that starts to happen in TV shows when the writing’s good is that (the writers) start to write for the actor, and it’s an ongoing process.

How did you come to work on Afghan Luke, and what connection did you develop with the story?
To be honest, the role just came up and I auditioned for it. Mike [Clattenburg] said he loved the audition, and thought I was a perfect fit. I connected to the character’s essence, and I think that’s what got me the part. He was just a big goof, really, but once you got to know more about him you realized there’s more to him. This character is, in a way, the voice of Afghanistan, so I felt a lot of responsibility.

What are a few things you learned about the relationship between fixers and journalists?
The fixer-journalist relationship was fascinating to me, because it was something that I’d never heard of. These foreign journalists are going to these countries and don’t speak the language, and the words they take away are being filtered through their fixer. Whatever subjective point of view that this fixer may have is being delivered through the journalist, and it’s something not many people think about.

And about the situation in Afghanistan in general?
My character has this perspective of being stuck, literally, in the middle all of these powerful countries with varying interests, and it’s been this way for so long. If I learned anything it’s that I could never understand what it would be like to live there. It was like, how can we understand a situation that the people who are actually in the situations can’t even wrap their heads around?

There are a lot of modern, Middle Eastern war movies; can you name a few of your favourites?
Three Kings comes to mind. I loved Lions for Lambs, and that’s an interesting movie because I think it might find its place in a bit of time.

How has the movie been received so far?
Well a lot of the reviews that have come out have been pretty brutal, but yeah some of them are good. Look, I’ve been in some really bad movies, and this is not one of them. It’s not just a movie about Afghanistan, it’s the main character’s search for truth in a crazy world, and it uses Afghanistan as a backdrop. I think there’s poetry to the movie that’s there to find.

What other projects are you working on these days?
I just started a new series called Arctic Air for CBC about bush pilots in the Canadian North, and I play a rookie pilot. I’m also working with my wife Sonja Bennet on an indie film called In No Particular Order, and I have a small spot in a movie called Clap Stock.

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