http://www.shedoesthecity.com/arts/trendalert en http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/blackout_03 Aw the blackout of 2003. ‘Twas the best of times, ‘twas the worst of times. Some of us are haunted by memories of a three hour hike back to our parents’ house in Markham. Some of us daydream about how we lazily ate melting ice cream tubs under the brilliant starry sky. In honour of the blackout’s fifth anniversary, events will be hosted throughout the city. Streets Are For People is planning a blackout rave, beginning at Central Tech on August 14 at 8pm. Expect glo worm dolls and fire-eaters. On the 17th Kensington Market will be a pedestrian friendly, acoustic music zone. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:27:01 -0700 Lizzie 4668 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/grade_five In their perpetual quest to avoid ageing, Baby Boomers have rebranded themselves as zoomers: boomers with zip. It’s baffling. Why would anyone resist the title of senior citizenry and the perks it entails? Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:59:19 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 4328 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/drag_queen_city Pride is upon us and it seems like every stage in town is awash with drag queens cackling demands for vodka and strutting their toned gams. Straying from their natural Church Street habitat, chiseled jaw versions of Diana Ross, Cher and Madonna will turn up in such unlikely places as Second City – nestled as it is in the city’s sports bar zone – and St. Andrew’s United Church (not even kidding). Are we ready for this explosion of four inch stilettos, vulgar tongues and gloriously big hair? Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:03:36 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 4011 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/luminato Luminato, two year old arts fest of the Golden Horseshoe, has so much money it doesn’t know what to do! The hodgepodge of events this year ranges from Bollywood dance lessons in Dundas Square, to a portrait exhibit of female Torontonian movers and shakers, from a Newmindspace bubble bath battle at Harbourfront, to a symposium on the politics of graphic novels at the JCC. Huh? It's in the West End and the East End. It's lowbrow and highbrow. It's for hipsters and toddlers. What exactly is the rhyme or reason behind this festival? Wed, 4 Jun 2008 09:24:24 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 3830 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/lower_bay_station Lower Bay Station has made the unlikely metamorphosis from gross boondoggle (back in the days of unlimited budgets it functioned for six months before being dismissed as a bad idea) to artists’ muse. For Nuit Blanche, the station housed an installation on the infrasounds of cities and paranormal spirits. At last year’s Doors Open, Flickr buffs battled each other for the artsiest shots of aging tiles. As you map out your Doors Open 2008 plan of attack, I’ll let you in on a secret: Lower Bay looks like every other station. Thu, 22 May 2008 14:18:59 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 3609 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/city_of_infinite_interpretations Hogtown, Big Smoke, the 416 and, my personal fave, T-Dot-O-Dot (bless you Kardinal Offishal). We’ve always been a city of many nicknames and now we’re becoming the city of infinite interpretations. A petri dish of a metropolis drooled over by urban theorists. David MacFarlane’s essay compilation, Toronto: A City Becoming, features literati musing upon the city’s changes. Toronto Noir, an anthology of mystery stories, launches this week. Word is there’s even a website where girls talk about “doing” the city (ooh, naughty). Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:40:43 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 3226 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/anne_of_green_gables Did you know there are L.M. Montgomery scholars? Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:31:17 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 3022 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/feminist_porn_awards by Lizzie No longer must we cruise XXX shops on Yonge for our adult video pleasure. This week, porn goes high brow. The Lollipop Generation, a Super 8 feature about underground porn launches The Images Festival on April 3rd. And if scenes of sucking face in grimy washrooms aren’t your thing, The 3rd Annual Feminist Porn Awards have a gala at The Gladstone on Friday and a screening of clips at the Revue Cinema on Saturday. Expect A-cups, a distinct lack of landing strips and a panel moderated by burlesque dancer Coco La Creme. Is porn the new avant garde? Tue, 1 Apr 2008 15:45:34 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 2868 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/improvised_music Has the spontaneous songwriting of Oscar winning Once charmed Torontonians into thinking that they too can ad-lib musical gems? New Parkdale venue, Somewhere There, hosts the Element Choir on Mondays: a whispering / nasal humming / screaming chorus conducted in-the-moment by Christine Duncan. On March 28th, Misha Glouberman will direct Latvian House crowds into a cacophonic frenzy at Terrible Noises for Beautiful People, a resurrection of his popular Nuit Blanche experiment. What do you think? Is spontaneity the spice of life or is this a scene that should crawl back under the radar? Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:58:54 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 2712 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com http://www.shedoesthecity.com/poll/antm Did reality tv execs have a conference call on repairing their image and decide that, hey, altruism couldn’t hurt? On ANTM the models pose as homeless girls to promote a non-profit. Their knit berets, fingerless gloves and smokey eyes suggest that street kids are styled by H&M. Celebs fired on The Apprentice are blue because their breast cancer foundations lose out. Now Oprah’s jumped in with her Big Give: a show that pits do-gooders against each other in a frenzied competition of who can give the most away. What’s happened to the genre that launched Paris Hilton? Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:43:29 -0700 Lizzie McNeely 2572 at http://www.shedoesthecity.com