Cocktails & Curtain Calls

Happy Days with Ford Canada

2012-05-30T22:31:43Z

When Ford Canada said they had a car they wanted Marion Ross (aka Mrs. C from Happy Days) to drive while she was in Toronto, I don't think anyone expected it to be a hip little roaster. But that's exactly what she got: a supped up, detailed and fully loaded Ford Fiesta.

Both she and her Lost in Yonkers co-star David Eisner have been driving it around town for the past few weeks and when I asked them for first impressions, they unanimously said "fun!"

As it turns out, David's wife drive a Ford Edge and he says the interiors are almost identical. "It feels luxurious, which is surprising for a small car. It's easy to drive, especially in the city; it corners well and is a cinch to park." Marion jumps in to point out that it's a smooth drive and is quite fuel-efficient.

After a bunch of fans stop to take some pictures with everyone's favourite 70's TV mom, Marion turns back to me and quickly adds "next time, let's pick a colour that better matches my hair..."

With a sparkle in her eye and a quick goodbye, she and David are off to a matinee, with their speedy little Ford waiting to take them on their next adventure.

Lost in Yonkers starring Marion Ross plays until June 8^th at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto.

Sex: A Tell All Exhibition

2012-05-28T13:50:25Z

I was in Ottawa for Race Weekend and decided, in between running, to take in some exhibits at the city's diverse museums. I could tell you how wonderful the Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada was, but I'm pretty sure you'd be able to figure that one out on your own. The real

question is how was Sex: A Tell All Exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology?

From the outset, with the beanbag chairs laid out (pun intended) for you to watch a video of conception and gestation, you know this isn't going to be just another health class.

So what's it really about? Some of the exhibit focuses on self-esteem and body image.

You walk in to life-sized naked composite photographs showing the physiological progression of each sex as the body ages. (I got to the old lady and gasped! If that's what's going to happen, I'm ramping up my running schedule...)

Once past that, there are some informed messages about gender projections and stereotypes, explaining where they come from.

Variable Anatomy has the most nudity as it's a side by side video slide show of different breast and chests, vaginas and penises. It illustrates how we humans come in all shapes, colours and sizes.

Am I Like Everyone Else? takes it a step closer (literally) with zoomed in photographic images of vaginas and penises explaining how, like fingerprints, no two are alike.

I really liked Distortion. It's a mirror that shifts, tilts, expands, and contracts. The goal is for you to press the stop button when you think the image looks right. It then tells you about yourself -ie, if you know your body well or have a skewed vision of what you look like. It's a great lesson in body image and self-esteem.

Much of the exhibit actually focuses on science. From explaining what dopamines are and How We Sense Pleasure to Why Does A Kiss Feel So Good? (lips and tongue are amongst the body's most sensitive parts) it gets right down to brass tacks.

There's also Mission Charm which explains attraction and social cues along with a display of animal courting techniques.

And then the exhibit gets more specific.

What Arouses Me? and The Perfect Touch where you put your hands on the male and female mannequins to find their erogenous zones, focuses on the sensations and triggers. The Fantasy Booth was really anticlimactic (pun intended), it tells you "just use your brain."

But we get into Erectomatic, Why Does It Get Hard? which again scientifically plot out what the components are and how they rise to the occasion. And, of course, Climax, a cartoon video showing what physiologically happens during orgasm.

But there's more to it than that. I think the support and responsibility components are excellent. There's an area that explains sexuality choices, with a video of personal accounts. These are really interesting interviews with people talking about the process of realization, how they chose to come out, how it felt and how it was accepted.

Is It Normal To Masturbate is the display with the video removed. From what I was told, it was a cartoon explanation. Maybe hand over a dog eared copy of a Judy Bloom book to fill in the blanks on this one.

There are three Pink Telephone displays where sexologists answers questions on everything from "what if I'm not ready" and "is it ok to be gay" to "why do boys want anal". The first one is strategically located right next to a display of condoms.

No Condom? No Way is an interactive lift the flap display explaining why you always need one. (And yes, there is a cartoon showing how to put one on.)

The bean jars showing how different STDs can be transmitted and the board explaining the risks of mixing sex with drugs and alcohol are more serious and very important, as is Sexualization of Public Spaces, a slide show of how the media uses sex in mass market advertisements.

On the lighter side there is What's It Called?, a survey of the most common words for genitalia. (You can add your own.)

But there's also For Me, Sexuality Is... where people write in their own answers which are added to an audio and video display. Some of the answers that came up on screen were:

"...yuck, cause I'm 13!"

"...being in love with someone"

"...the ability to connect"

"...it's really complicated!"

The exhibit closes It's A Question Of Culture showing acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in Canada 50 years ago, in Canada today and today in other countries, and It's The Law, a Q&A test of scenarios where you guess if it's a criminally punishable act, like date rape and sexual assault. Some of the scenarios are far more subtle than you'd think and the boundaries are a good lesson for everyone to learn.

I stood back at one point and listened as a mother explained birth control methods to her daughter at the Do I Need To Use Contraception display. It was an open and relaxed dialogue as they talked about practicalities, physiology and the science behind it. I hope when the time comes, I'll be like that mom.

Bottom line: Would I take my 9 year old daughter? No way. But other people did. You have to decide what's right for your child and what they're ready for.

On the other hand, would I take a 14 year old? Absolutely. It opens an honest dialogue and can answers questions I may not be able to without blushing and/or having them go "ewww, mom and dad did that??"

Avoiding the Untag

2012-05-25T22:05:00Z

People always ask if I have any suggestions for looking better in pictures. As it happens, I do! Here are a few quick tips to help you avoid having to click the "untag" button next time a camera rolls around.

DO:

RELAX. I know, I know, easier said than done. But it's true: if you can relax, you'll look better. If that means shaking it out or taking yoga breaths, do it.
WEAR A BIT MORE MAKE-UP than you normally would. I don't mean to go out looking like Kabuki Theatre, but a bit more powder, blush and mascara than normal will make a huge difference.
WEAR SOMETHING COMFORTABLE. It sounds like a no brainer, but we sometimes forget that if you feel good, you'll look good.
PRACTICE. You may feel a little silly, but it helps to figure out your "game face". Pull out some pictures of yourself that you like, practice making that pose and angle, and work it.
SIT AND/OR STAND UP STRAIGHT. Again, another no brainer, but it's surprising how easy it is to forget, especially when seated.

DON'T:

WEAR SHIMMERY MAKE-UP. You will make you look sweaty, not sexy.
LOAD ON THE LIP GLOSS. A thin coat of lip gloss will look lovely, but anything more will make you look like an undesirable PornBot.
STAND DEAD ON TO CAMERA. It's simply not flattering and you'll end up feeling like you're taking a mug shot. Try and stand with one leg forward on a bit of a diagonal to the camera.
HOLD YOUR BREATH. It's ok to suck in a little if you're feeling insecure about the mummy tummy, but don't forget to breath. Taking and releasing a deep breath is the easiest way to relax in front of a camera.

Gay. Get Over It.

2012-05-18T02:24:38Z

So Raven-Symone, the cute kid from The Cosby Show and star of Disney shows like The Cheetah Girls and That's So Raven, came out and social media went wild. And not in a good way.

It also happened to be #NOH8 Day in support of gay marriage and equality in the United States. So I find it particularly sad in this day and age to see a reaction so hate filled and, frankly, mean.

Am I being naïve or is this strictly because being gay is about sex? We don't see two people in love, we see two people having sex. And that sexuality is thrust in our faces. I mean, I don't walk around saying "I'm Racheal and I'm a breeder". I just don't feel the need to qualify my sexual orientation they way some people qualify their Starbucks orders.

But then sex makes us as a society so uncomfortable. Look at what's happening in Ottawa right now with the controversy over an exhibit at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. We'll get uptight about letting our children watch love scenes, but won't give a second thought to some of the violence they repeatedly see.

And yes, Fifty Shades of Grey, a book dubbed "mommy porn", is circulating faster than timbits at a pee wee hockey game; but it's something that's hidden away and giggled over in private, just like we hid dog-eared copies of Judy Blume's Forever when we were growing up.

Bottom line is being gay doesn't make you weak or inferior. Neither does wearing glasses or having red hair. It's genetically who you are.

So my question is: does it matter?

Would you think any less of the poem In Flanders Fields if I told you John McCrae was gay? Would it make his contribution any less valid?

My husband says because I grew up in a big multi-cultural city, I live in a bubble and have an unrealistic view of the world. If that bubble means I can see people for who they are and not who they sleep with, then I'm happy to stay there.

Theatre As A Teaching Tool

2012-05-16T01:10:50Z

"It was awesome!"

That was the response from my friend's 11-year-old daughter coming out of Dancap's production of West Side Story, now playing in Toronto.

I'd debated bringing my 9-year-old daughter with me to opening night. Yes, the songs in this modern adaptation of Romeo & Juliet are phenomenal; it's a bright, energetic production with enthusiastic choreography and some powerful performances. But it's also dark and violent, with some very serious issues and themes.

And it got me thinking about what a great teaching opportunity theatre can be.

The week before, my daughter and I had watched South Pacific. When we talked about it after, I asked her if she knew why Lt. Cable couldn't marry Liat and why Nellie had so much trouble with the Frenchman.

"I don't know, " she replied. "I didn't really get it."

"Well, it's because both Lt. Cable and Nellie had problems with racism."

"Racism? What does that mean?"

"You don't know that word?"

She shook her head.

"It's when someone doesn't like another person because of the colour of their skin or the way they talk or where they come from or how they pray."

"That's ridiculous! Why would they do that?"

In that moment, I knew I was doing something really right as a parent.

"Because people fear anything different. They're scared of what they don't understand."

So we went back and re-watched one of the most powerful and poignant songs in the musical theatre, "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught".

That movie proved to be a springboard for an intense and engaged discussion. As it turns out, the

graduating class at her school were putting on their own version of West Side Story. It was interesting to see what they cut and what they kept. Production numbers like "Gee, Officer Krupke" were gone, but the racial tensions between the Sharks and The Jets remained in tact.

Sometimes, when there's a difficult topic to address, a show can be the easiest way to do it. Theatre really does cover just about everything. Now, if only they'd made a musical of Are You There God, It's Me Margaret...

West Side Story is on stage in Toronto till June 3^rd.

What I Want For Mother's Day

2012-05-09T19:06:52Z

If I could ask for one thing this Mother's Day, it's that everything you would have spent on your wife, mom, girlfriend, partner or yourself be instead donated to the moms at Ronald McDonald House.

Because, and let's be honest, I don't need more flowers, or a trip to the spa or yet another gift certificate for LuluLemon.

In fact, I don't need anything except to realize and appreciate that those women, the ones who really

sacrifice everything, are the ones who deserve to be feted. They're the ones who truly need a break and right now the only place they can get that is RMH.

And no roses will fix that.: no flowers will find an organ donor, and no amount of Lulu credit will find a bone marrow match.

Look, we all have to live our own lives. We each have our own set of troubles to deal with. I mean right now I have an employer in breach of contract. But as one of the mothers currently living at RMH put it "there's more important things than work. Everyone's reality is their own, but you never know what tomorrow'll bring."

All moms deserve to be appreciated, but my kids are healthy and happy. They don't need to be in isolation for fear of dying; they don't need to be separated from their siblings in case of infection; they don't need to be sent hundreds of kilometres away for treatment.

So this year, I urge you to do something special. She may not be your mom, but she sure could use it.

Remembering Maurice

2012-05-08T13:24:16Z

Maurice Sendak died today of complications from a stroke. He was 83. I cannot imagine my childhood without the bizarreness of In The Night Kitchen or the comfort of my children's childhood without an episode of Little Bear.

And then of course, there is the perennial favourite, Where The Wild Things Are.

Thank you Mr. Sendak for your creativity, imagination and above all, your books.

Do you have a favourite Sendak story or memory?

Pulling My Artstrings

2012-04-20T11:27:36Z

A tweet went out that got my attention and I immediately forwarded it on. It said "tweet #MolsonM_Art and you help paint a mural and we donate $1 to the arts in Canada...cheers"

To me, it seemed like a no-brainer. Corporate marketing helping the arts. But then I thought about it for a moment and immediately asked "Where's the mural going to be & who's painting it?"

While I didn't get a personal response, I did get a press release:
Molson M is asking art enthusiasts everywhere to tweet using #MolsonM_Art over the next four weeks, and with each tweet, Molson M will donate $1 to the Canadian Art Foundation and the tweeters handles will be incorporated into the mural. People can look for their handles on the 40-feet-high by 100-feet-wide painted mural at the corner of King and Church streets.

For the record, I've never heard of the Canadian Art Foundation and I've been in this business for over 20 years. On the other hand, I think this is a pretty interesting project. Then again, you know I've already featured several mural artists and projects on this site.

So the question I have for you is this: Is it a corporation who cares or yet another marketing ploy simply pulling at our (he)art strings?

Bilingualism and Art

2012-04-11T13:20:16Z

There are advantages to being a Canadian. One of them, for me anyway, is being able to speak French. And while I use the term "speak French" very loosely, it has come in handy.

For example, when interviewing a talented and handsome young dancer from French Guyana, it helped to put him at ease, especially at the end of a long day of media calls. When he can speak freely in his mother langues, the exuberance of his performances and passions are far more forthcoming.

The downfall is that my vocab can only take me so far before the interview begins to sound like a remedial ESL course...

Hi. Nice to meet you.

Yannick: Nice to meet you too. Yes, I'm Yannick Lebrun.

Alors, est ce qu'on parle on Français ou anglais?*

Yannick: En Francais? Oui, oui si on peux, si c'est possible.

Yes, yes, it is possible.

Yannick: Francais c'est ma premiere langue. Je just reviens de Guadaloupe et le Guyane.

Alors, bienvenue a Toronto. The weather's a little different.

Yannick: Oui, the weather's very different. But it can get cold in New York City too. Donc, c'est pas grave. Bien, maintentant, encore en Francais.

En Francais? Oh no!

Yannick: Est ce que vous sentier?

Oui, un peu, mais mon vocabulaire est absolutment horrible.

Yannick: AHHHH, ok, I'm gonna do my best in English then!

We can do both?

Yannick: We can do both.

As we continue talking, and I furiously try to translate our ridiculous mix of Frenglish, I learn that he started dancing at 8 and in high school was given scholarships to study in New York. He was part of the Alvin Ailey Fellowship programme and quickly recruited to A2, the second company, before being promoted to the main stage and the first company.

How much did you know about Alvin Ailey before you joined the company?

Yannick: Honestly? I didn't know a lot about the history. I learned more when I first got here, and then I became more serious about it. I watched the archival video clips and read up on him. But I always knew it was something huge -one of the best modern dance companies in the world. I knew that it was big, but I didn't know all the history.

It must be so exciting to be part of something like that .

Yannick: Yes! And to be the only French dancer in this company. It's great because it's a repertory company, so we get to do work not only by Alvin Ailey, but every year invite different choreographers in, and really show the audience how versatile we are.

Do you want to choreograph?

Yannick: Yes, I think choreographing is part of me, it's something that I need to do and something that I want to do. I've started a little bit, and I teach, but nothing huge yet.

Do you like teaching?

Yannick: Oui. It's fun, it's good to share what you know because at one point you were just there learning it too. In Guyana, I didn't know about this technique or that technique, so it's great.

Was it important to be part of a black dance company or did that not matter?

Yannick: No, it really matters. Growing up we had our history and culture, a very rich one. Now I also get to know about the African American culture and it's good to share it with different audiences, no matter where we are on the planet.

Is the connection to what you're dancing that much stronger because of that?

Yannick: Of course. I think when you have a better understanding of the history, the communication and the way you're going to deliver it is going to be stronger.

Je dois pensee s'il est anything else I should ask you?

Yannick: Bien, les dance son fantastique. Tres dynamique et varie. "Relvelation" is a masterpiece. I know the audiences will be very excited.

Does the reaction and attitude of the audience make a difference to you and your performance?

Yannick: Yes, we notice it. It depends on how well educated they are in art, but in general, it depends on the ballet and we feel if they enjoy it or not.

Right, because art is subjective. L'art est subjectif.

You can catch Yannick and The Alvin Ailey company as the North American tour continues next week in Ottawa and Montreal.

Please note that there are 2 very different programmes, so if you can, catch it twice!

*Disclaimer: I said I could "speak French", I never said I could spell it!!

Feminism, Arts and the End of an Era

2012-03-28T20:00:01Z

When I sat down with the incredible cast of Little Mosque on the Prairie to talk about the series finale,

I didn't realize how much I'd throw things off, or what a diverse discussion we'd have, when I brought up an article Deb McGrath (Mayor Popowicz) had posted on Facebook the previous evening.

Can we talk about the posting you put up yesterday?

Deb: I was crying when I read that. They're trying to pass a bill in Kansas that if you are a young mother and your doctor finds out that you've got a severely disable or deformed child and he is pro-life, it is his right to keep that information from you, so you have to carry that child to term.

Sitara Hewitt (Rayyan Hamoudi): Not all moms can handle that.

Deb: And more to the point...

Sheila McCarthy (Sarah Hamoudi): ...it's none of his friggin' business.

Zaib Shaikh (Amaar Rashid): That's heinous.

Deb: Again, women are victims. And when you think of all the women who fought so hard for equal rights, just to be able to take control of our own bodies, and to suddenly have it taken away...

Sheila: ...is ridiculous.

Brandon Firla (Reverend Thorne): It's a lot of republicans.

I tried to bring it around by saying "And in a lot of a ways, isn't that similar to what you guys have been doing as well? Breaking through a lot of stereotypes and stigmas?" but the cast were on a tear.

Sitara: And it's all men, people without uteruses putting down these rulings.

Zaib: It's horrific.

Brandon: And it's Christian men.

Zaib: The National Arts Centre just announced their season with "big news" that they're "focusing on women playwrights". Imagine a world where that's not news, it's a matter of course.

Sheila: Where it's taken for granted. It's just a thing.

Zaib: In this day and age, if that's till news, that's not cool. The fact that it has to be news is not good enough.

Deb: Last week the New York Times did a thing about Gloria Steinham and why no one has taken her place. And they were saying that a lot of people were complaining that because she was a beautiful white woman, it didn't help the cause. And I thought, she was a woman who had the balls to step up, so who cares. And she is mentoring young women.

Zaib: There needs to be forward thinking.

And isn't it funny that the bias is over her looks? It has nothing to do with how intelligent she is or how articulate.

Zaib: Well, I get that all the time about myself.

We all break up laughing and I finally get my opportunity to appease the PR reps by getting back to the purpose of our meeting when I ask "Are you going to end up like the Brady Bunch and in about 10 years you'll start doing the reunion movies?"

Arlene Duncan (Fatima Dinssa): Wouldn't that be fun!!

Zaib: I hope so!

Arlene: I'll still be running the café, wiping down the counter.

They all laugh again as they joke about where there characters would be 10 years from now.

And then I ask question I'm sure everyone else has as well: how do you feel now that it's come to the end?

Deb is the first to crack out "I hated these people! And I couldn't be happier!"

Arlene's a bit more reflective when she says "I feel it's a job well done."

Sheila quickly adds "We're very lucky, very grateful."

Deb: And we were saying the emotional end of it happened when we finished shooting. And it was emotional. A lot of tears and a lot of moments.

Zaib: What was cool was this season we really got a lot of attention, almost as much as our first season, and I really feel like it's a great bookend. We had an opportunity and I feel we knocked it out of the park.

Deb: And you know what, the gift of the finale to the fans -we were all choked up when we were reading it -it honours the nucleus of the show. And I hope it honours Zarqa (Nawaz, the series creator).

Sitara: We got to play everything on this show from emotional to funny to just out there kooky, and you don't get that in a lot of series so we were lucky. And now that the show's ending, you realize that as it goes off in to the past, that we were a part of history. And that people who watched it were a part of history too. Just a sweet, simple but impactful part of history that will never happen again.

Well, you guys were groundbreaking.

Sheila: The whole season last year, we were very aware of that, so every show was special and it was hard to live like that.

Sitara: We savoured very second of being on set.

So do you guys worry about the curse of Canadian television and having been on such a big, successful show? Do you worry about what's going to happen after?

Sheila: To our careers?

Yes. I mean, I know a lot of you are stage actors as well.

Sheila: That's the beauty of living in Canada. You get to move around the mediums.

Zaib: You do, but in Canada, I'll be honest with the (Vancouver) Playhouse closing and the news of the Saskatchewan film tax credits being eliminated, it's not just those provinces that suffers. We are just at the height of amazing things and we're in a dangerous place.

Arlene: I'm a cockeyed optimist. This happens all the time in this industry. We're in a weird economy all around the world so if you get sucked into that, you'll find yourself being dragged down.

Zaib: I'm just saying, as an industry, we have to really take a step up now. We have the opportunity to get out of that cycle. Because this is really a highlight time and I hope there are more shows that do something for the culture of this country. Every country wishes they had a TV show that made it around the world. That's what every country wants.

And that leads to our conversation's next weird turn...

Deb: I saw us in Spanish the other day. I wanted to freeze time. It was fan-tastic!!

Arlene: Oh I'd love to hear myself in Spanish, can you imagine?

Sheila: I'd love to meet the people who do us.

Zaib: We should do a documentary on that.

I'm sure you could get funding for that!

Sheila: A Canada Council grant for all the dialects around the world.

Zaib: We'll go around the world and meet the actors who play us.

And that's your first reunion movie right there!

Part 1 of the Little Mosque series finale airs Monday night on CBC. See you there!

Words From My Shrekspert

2012-03-22T11:27:53Z

Earlier this week, Dancap Productions treated the McCaig clan to opening night of Shrek The Musical in Toronto.

To be honest, I didn't want to go. For every great movie to stage adaptation (ie Hairspray), there are at least 5 that are so excruciatingly painful, I'd rather take my eyes out than ever have to endure again (I'm looking at you Dirty Dancing.) So when you take a movie that to many of us is iconic, you run a big risk.

From the moment I walked through the door and had a pair of Shrek ears slapped on my head, I knew this show would be a different.

My six year old son is a self-professed Shrekspert, so while my 8 year old daughter wondered why the show opened differently from the movie, he was excited: "Mom, it's just like the book!"

(Side note, everyone does know that Shrek was a book first, right? This might be a good time to put in a PSA for you to support your local libraries.)

The show's worth the ticket price just to see what Merritt David Janes does as Farquaad. A brilliant performer channelling Martin Short and Monty Python, he was hands-down the adult favourite. The children voted Donkey their love, with the Gingerbread Man coming in a close second. But there's also the tap dancing rats and the incredible Dragon. My husband actually challenged that the Dragon was better than WarHorse, and that's a pretty hefty bar to beat.

The farting song may make some of the grown ups cringe but, after all, this is a show to come in to and laugh. It is not high art.

For a family show, it runs 2 ½ hours, and there are a few moments that feel long. But as my kids say: it's really funny, there's nothing scary, and if you like the movie you'll for sure enjoy it.

Shrek The Musical is at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto till April 1^st, and then makes a quick visit to London, Ontario before heading back to the States.

Tales from a non-Fashionista: Dare to Wear

2012-03-21T10:00:59Z

World MasterCard Fashion Week closed with Dare to Wear Love, a gala fundraiser showcasing Canadian designers with celebrity models. Given just a few yards of African fabric,some of the designers really pushed the limits. The standout for me was Cityline's Tracy Moore in a breathtaking display by Aileen Ng for Avionni, though Danielle Brown definitely wins the cuteness award. Look for them in the gallery below and tell me what you think.

Tales from a non-Fashionista: David Dixon

2012-03-20T01:10:03Z

I'm not a fashion gal at all, so for me to be blown away by a fashion show is a pretty big thing. And that's exactly what happened with David Dixon's bird themed line for Fall 2012. I'm usually the one wondering what the hype's about quietly grumbling about not getting it, but this was...exquisite and wearable.

So take a look and see if you agree.

Tales from a non-Fashionista: Joe Fresh

2012-03-20T00:26:20Z

No Canadian Fashion Week is complete without a little love from Joe Fresh. I actually wonder if they had the produce aisle in mind when they came up with this cap. Nonetheless, here's a look at what'll be in grocery stores near you this coming fall...

Tales from a non-Fashionista: Holt's Canadian Catwalk Part 2

2012-03-13T18:53:43Z

Holt's continues the fabulous and the frightening with Dennis Merotto, Line, TwentyCluny and Jeremy Laing.