What a great promo! Hilarious.. This is outside a real estate office just outside my apartment... and their message before this read:

"THINK IT'S COLD? TRY PUTTING UP THIS SIGN"

A bunch of saucy queens running this real estate office? One can only postulate :)

-RE

Labels: ads, city

Today marks the first weekend of a bunch where Bay station will be closed, redirecting trains around the station. The result? Besides the confusion of getting off at Museum station while on the bloor line (who knew the TTC subway was capable of this?), Toronto bloggers have taken live digital camera movies of the trip.

What's shocking are the number posted, and number of views. Who really cares? Honestly, sitting at home and watching the train sluggisly screech in the dark for 3 mins isn't my kind of clip. Isn't there something better in Toronto to talk about? How about the interior design show with guest speaker Debbie Travis. There's nothing better than experiencing artsy avant-garde designs, $5000 garbage cans and spherical water features for your living room while you sip your $5 cappuccino among gay men and their stylish female counterparts. But hey, if y'all want to blog about how late all we were because of the detour trip around bay station, that's your prerogative! :)

-RE

Labels: city, TTC

Last week I saw Children of Men, riding along with some friends who suggested it.

It was basically one of those flicks I merited more for its post conversation rather than the movie itself. C.O.M. is set in a post-apocalyptic world where all human women have inexplicably become infertile, resulting in a grim and disenchanted world that has fallen into military rule for order and religion for hope and piece of mind. But then one man, an apatehtic ex-activist stumbles upon a pregnant woman.

After reading that, can't you just see how they got the producers oiled up when the writers pitched the flick? It felt more like a concept movie and anything else. It's a weed-spired 2AM conversation that actually resulted into something.

Overall it wasn't bad actually - almost good... Except for that there was no SUBSTANCE, or any answers to little questions like "why didn't they just get cloning?" or "hello, test tube babies?" This movie sparked quite a discussion afterwards to fill in gaps like these. I'm sure they did it on purpose, as answer would never satisfy you.

(Case in point: 'JUST' video by Radiohead below)



(warning: spoilers below..)

Taking away the need for depth, I liked the use of symbolism and parallels with current human behaviour. The use of life/death was well done at the climax when Theo walks out w/the newborn in the middle of a bloodbath between the state and refugee rebels - the war stops for a few moment as he walks through. Once passing they return to their carnage (which begs the question: why didn't the state grab the kid? who knows).

I haven't done any back research on it, but it felt like an adapted Rad Bradbury dystopian short story blown into a feature film. I have heard that there is a lot of critical rave on this film, so we'll see how well it does at the Oscars!

-RE

Labels: movies

I never thought I'd ever title an entry like that, but after seeing a clip from the Madonna Confessions Tour, I realized that i NEED TO SEE MADONNA LIVE!



I love this track - the way it keeps rolling and building without going over-the-top. Oh, and the topless dancers playing monkey bars helps too :)

My previous love "showed me the way" a few years ago when he played her Greatest Hits: Vol 2 album. I realized how many tracks I and really liked - ironically they were the ones he didn't care much for (heh). Since then I've grown a much stronger appreciation to her music. I've been hypocritical because of my battles against Dave Matthews Band haters; you know, the ones who say: "Dave is for white college chicks and their Abercrombie boyfriends." Sure, one can poke fun but his fame was because of the larger-than-life glorious music that they create together, not to mention their intense tour ethic and tenacity. But I digress.

For me, Madonna like Dave to non-dave fans. She was this ominous pop star that topped trash magazines daily and "have my baby!" lists from gay men in North America (and beyond!). I didn't even know where to start; so many albums, so many die hard fans telling you rare tracks to download, and so many "phases" and influences in her career to learn about. It's actually exactly like DMB, except that perhaps average guy Dave couldn't pull off boob horns as well this pop princess.

Thanks to the help from my pink brotherhood (one of which is a die hard fan) I've gotten into Madonna and appreciated her for all her pop goodness. Erotica? A revolt from what the public demanded in the brutal invasion of her private life and the male repression of female sexuality. Ray of Light? A rebirth of Madonna in her experimentation into the electronic/techno genre. American Life? Her words against the US invasion of Iraq. Kabbalah? Gives her scrumptious chiseled abs!

Sources say there will be at least one more major Madonna tour, but it won't be for a little while. When it comes, I will be there. I've missed out for so many years because of my sheer ignorance and anti-pop prejudice.

Does this mean I'll be shelling $100 for nosebleeds to see JT? Not quite.

May be Britney.

Labels: music