Toronto

Tickets to Boobyball Flash went on sale this past Tuesday and have nearly sold out. Last year the Boobyball committee, along with MTV Canada, created a sexy teaser (literally) and it was such a viral hit that it landed on Jay Leno, CNN and the effing VIEW! Without a doubt, Boobyball is the most well attended fundraiser for young women in Toronto – but how did this success story, that has raised nearly a million dollars, start? read more...

THURSDAY
7 pm Welcome to Wendyland @ Come As You Are, 701 Queen St. W. Opening night of Toronto illustrator Wendy Ding’s first solo show; inspired by tasty treats, sexy pin-up girls and whimsical imagination. Enjoy light refreshments and meet Wendy in person.

8 pm Positive Style Mural Party @ Naco Gallery, 1665 Dundas St. W. Inspired by Mexican muralism of the 1930s. Hanna Hur showcases her art while DJ Kevin spins the good stuff.

9 pm No Heart Feelings @ The Royal, 608 College St. Last screening of this heartfelt homegrown film. $10/$8 for students. read more...

by Becca Lemire
This past weekend, the annual Fake Prom brought hordes of youngsters to the beautiful Palais Royale for a heehaw of a good time. If you missed it, well, we feel sorry for you. Aside from wanting to relive the shitty real prom we experienced in high school, this event beckons us back every year as the costumes are always outrageous. When the theme called for wild-wild west - we took it seriously. DJ's DMoney and Shit Le Merde played the songs we wanted to hear from when our parents promed it up to the Gaga generation. Other highlights included portraits and voting for King and Queen - this shit was better than Degrassi! The best part? The historic deck that overlooked the beautiful ocean, glittering from a starry sky. Okay, Lake Ontario - but while we are pretending to be seventeen, we might as well embellish. Ps- check out the sassy Western themed one-liners at www.fakeprom.com and LOL'd mad hard. GIDDY UP!  read more...

Do you have what it takes to infuse your Precious Little Life with Scott Pigriminess? Can you, like Michael Cera, step into the illustrated shoes of Toronto's favourite poster boy? Take our quiz below to find out which Scott Pilgrim character you most identify with, and then start working on your Hallowe'en costume.
You get panic sweats thinking about:
a) Being trapped in Honest Ed's.
b) Being trapped in last year's ironic statement hat.
c) Being trapped at a party with all your boring friends. Why do you hang out with these assholes, again?
d) The fact that your head keeps randomly glowing, and you're not really sure why. read more...

By Caitlyn Holroyd
High on the list of the reasons we love Toronto is its abundance of cool, independent coffee shops. We’ve made it our mission to try just about every one in the city and thankfully a new passport has made it that much easier and cheaper (we’d like to think they made it just for us)!

Behold, the Indie Coffee Passport! The concept? It’s simple. For just $20, you can indulge in one coffee or tea (up to a $5 value) at each one of the 24 indie coffee shops participating throughout the city between Sept. 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 (that’s a $120 value if you’re calculating). read more...

WOW!! Fabfind.com is offering this insanely great deal today, and only today! As of 8AM, there were 287 spaces left, but those will get snatched up at warp speed, so grab this deal NOW.

Guess what? You can get minxed at Mosheta! We haven't checked out this Queen West salon, as of yet, but the graffiti interior catches our attention every time we hitch a ride on the streetcar. Considering TIFF is around the corner, we are definitely buying this deal. (Maybe some lighting bolt nails for the red carpet?) Oh, and - just a reminder that Summer doesn't officially end until Sept 21 - which means....you could well be wearing sandals for sunny days in the park until the leaves change. Alternatively, save this deal for when you head south come winter or heck, even next June! This Fabfind is offered for one year. THE POSSIBILITIES PEOPLE!! read more...

Directors Sarah Lazarovic, Geoff Morrison, and Ryan J. Noth have created a feature film, No Heart Feelings, that is a mumblecore love letter to lazy, hazy Dundas West summer days. We talked to Lazarovic about the inspiration behind the film. No Heart Feelings is screening at The Royal Cinema this weekend, starting Friday at 9 pm.
Where did the idea for the film come from?
Ryan used to edit my short films, and we both wanted to make a feature, and we knew we wouldn't get the money to make it through conventional means. We'd both seen a bunch of movies about Brooklyn that we loved, and we wanted to do that about Toronto. We just started concocting-it grew organically. read more...

By Louisa Cohen
Once an ex-boyfriend not-so-eloquently said, “If you ain’t got a face, you ain’t got nothing.” It was his way of giving me a compliment (I think)…but in a sense the guy was right. Good skin, in my opinion, is the best accessory a woman could want.

As a self-diagnosed product junkie, I know that having the perfect complexion doesn’t always come easy, or cheaply.

Last night I sipped wine and nibbled on canapés with a slew of downtown Toronto women at the Spoke Club. read more...

August 26th-29th Scotiabank BuskerFest @ St. Lawrence Market, various locations. Magicians, acrobats, clowns, musicians, contortionists, musicians, and more! Admission is by donation and benefits Epilepsy Toronto. www.torontobuskerfest.com

THURSDAY
8 pm Appeteasers - A Serving of Tasty Morsels @ Opera Bob’s Public House, 1112 Dundas St. W. Fantastic lineup of burlesque performers, all eager to strut their stuff. PWYC (suggested $5-10). read more...

By Becca Lemire
A new neighbourhood tradition in Toronto West's Dufferin Grove is slowly growing. Known as DIMBY, or Dance In My Backyard, it's an intimate dance experience put on by professionals, without a wallet-breaking price tag, near the Dufferin and Bloor area. The showcase this year features dancers and performers from Toronto and Montreal including Enviro duo Alicia Grant and Cara Spooner, cube 3 and Lady Janitor (community gem and DIMBY organizer Eroca Nicols) all performing pieces specially choreographed for DIMBY. read more...

By Ivana Markotic
Last night, disheveled from a 2 a.m. exit from a bar, I pour onto Queen Street in my heels. Five hours in four inch heels always results in the same question: Why do I torture myself to reach such great heights? Fittingly, my interview today is with Hailey Coleman, the twenty-two year old entrepreneur behind “Damn Heels,” the sole solution for taking a break from your high heels. read more...

By Haley Cullingham
Photos courtesy of Christopher Bennell

It's a sunny Friday afternoon, and I'm having tea under the watchful eye of a five foot four inch brown bear from Peterborough. A rooster is perched on the arm of the sofa beside me, and a bottle opener attached to a deer hoof rests on the coffee table.  I'm in the well-appointed West End living room of artist Morgan Mavis, a space more professionally known as The Contemporary Zoological Conservatory. When Morgan invited me over, the note read "I've made cupcakes and we just recently acquired a peacock." That is the definition of an offer you can't refuse. read more...

By Shelley Budd
I was sipping my morning coffee about this time, a year ago, mindlessly surfing the cable channels on a visit home to the suburban GTA, and suddenly a small boy-child caught my attention. He appeared to be madly in love and singing directly to each young face in the crowd, a swarm of tweens. Will Farrell was playing Will Arnett in some celebrity tennis match, and this was the performance to fill their break. I looked down at my dog, who was alert and facing the TV. She also appeared to be puzzled about his existence, as he hyped his hands in the air to the excruciatingly sparkling love of his throng. read more...

By Caitlyn Holroyd
Ahhh, Spain... drinking pitcher upon pitcher of sangria from our hotel room with the stunning view overlooking classic architecture, picturesque beaches, and gorgeous people. No, this isn’t how we spent our summer (aside from the pitcher upon pitcher of sangria part) but fortunately, there are plenty of places in the city to enjoy a glass of this summer classic whilst pretending you’re Scarlett Johansson in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Here’s our picks for the best sangria in Toronto. read more...

by Caitlyn Holroyd
Nothing cures a case of the Monday doldrums quite like a hearty piece of meat cooked to perfection on the BBQ. Of course, meat doesn’t just show up and throw itself on your grill; there’s that whole going-to-the-butcher-and-buying-it thing you must do before you can enjoy your meat (something I’ve always found to be a difficult task). What’s a good cut? How much do I order? What KIND of meat should I get? What seasonings do I use? So many questions! read more...

Vrooom. Beep beep. Hey you, do you like sexy cars? How about live music from four of Canadians much loved indie bands? What about romantic cobblestone lanes? Yes, YES, YESSSS!

Okay, we’ll share the news. Our friends at Notable tipped us off that next weekend (Aug 27-29) Lexus is hosting a concert in the Distillery with these hot acts:
The Stills, Lily Frost, The Midway State, Paper Lions  read more...

The third installment in the Underground/Opera presented by Opera Erratica and Classical Music Consort, Orlando Lunaire is an underground cabaret opera that will bring music, video projections, and avant garde fashion...to a west end industrial storage shed. Mixing the Handel's baroque opera Orlando and Shoenberg's atonal masterpiece Pierrott Lunaire, (for those of you who have never taken any 20th century music classes, this one is quite something.) and with costumes designed by Heidi Ackerman, this promises to be a truly unique and stunning event.

August 22-28 @ 8 pm read more...

After the 13 year old snapped his picture, good ol' Adrien Grenier (Vinnie Chase on Entourage if you live under a rock that doesn't get HBO) decided to delve deeper into the life of Austin Visschedyk. Grenier attempts to understand and mentor the young paparazzo in this doc, which is the third the young star has directed. Following Austin, a picture of the media system that supports him and other photographers becomes startingly clear. read more...

By Kait Fowlie
Every once in a while, an entourage of blazingly rad females will cross paths, design stuff in a sustainable manner, bike around the city, and wear a lot of spandex. When this happens, the angels sing and the people of Toronto rejoice because they make our urban living situation a whole hell of a lot more interesting. What started as a 40-drinking escapade on wheels has exploded into a local phenomenon of partying with purpose. This is not just your average midnight bike crew (if there is such thing). read more...

Until September 26th Total Eclipse: Will Munro @ AGO, 317 Dundas St. W. Artist, community builder, DJ, restaurateur, activist, and party-thrower all describe Will Munro, whose life and work are being celebrated through the AGO’s Toronto Now series. From hand-stitched quilted works on fabric to silkscreens on mirror and sources of inspiration like Paris is Burning and Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

August 18th-22nd Bicycle Film Festival @ various locations. A celebration of the bicycle through music, art, and film. Venues include the Royal, Cinecycle, Mascot, and Parts & Labour. $27 for a festival pass. More information and tickets available at www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/toronto. read more...