Sprockets International Children’s Film Festival
The Sprockets Film Festival turns 11 this year, which makes it the same age as most of this film festival’s jury members. Sprockets is to TIFF and Cannes what the Kids Choice Awards (May 18th at 6pm on YTV*) are to the Blockbuster awards! The lineup this year includes 68 films representing 26 countries and 15 languages. Audiences can enjoy youth-oriented films from countries like Argentina, Cuba, Finland, France, and Israel, along with local and international guests. The Sprockets Film Festival runs from April 12 to 18, 2008 at various locations around the city. www.sprockets.ca
*Shameless plug
Bunch Family Salon
Think your kid could be the next Nick Cannon? (Pfft! You wish!) This Saturday from 2-5 don’t miss the sandbox equivalent of open mic night when kids crack wise at the Bunch Family Salon. (“What’s the deal with shoelaces? I mean, they always come untied and then you have to retie them! Just use Velcro! Don’t even get me started…”)Once a year the Bunch Family Salon brings major players in arts and music together with the city’s most creative kids. In addition to the comedy club, activities include designing and building a pint-sized city out of recylables, opera lessons, performances by indie rockers, animated films from the National Film Board, and a yoga workshop. Admission is $20 for kids and $25 for adults at the Arts and Letters Club (14 Elm Street). Buy your tickets asap, before they’re snatched up by the city’s rapidly growing baby hipster population! http://www.bunchfamily.ca/
The Wicker Man
Has anyone ever seen this movie? Moreover, has anyone seen and understood this movie? I…I just don’t get it…
Why is Nicolas Cage in a bear suit and why is he punching a woman in the face? WHY?
Bitch Salad
No, it’s not a litter of female puppies tossed in a raspberry vinagrette—it’s an evening of laffs and chuckles at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre! Hosted by Andrew Johnston, the fifth installment of B*tch Salad features comics Kristeen Van Hagen, Richard Ryder, and Nikki Payne. NOT TO MENTION (!!!) a set that is sure to make you hit the “ceiline” by youtube phenom Laura Landauer, star of the greatest viral video ever to hit the web, The Celine Dion Workout:
Don’t miss it, Tuesday, April 15 at 8:30pm!
Rojo Caliente
If you aren’t already familiar with Reggaetonian sensation Meagan Taylor, (or simply “Meagan” as she’s known to her legions of fans) please allow me to introduce this budding entrepreneur and shrewd self-marketer. Legend has it that after receiving one million dollars in bat mitzvah money, Meagan used this Fabergé nest egg to finance her debut single and an accompanying music video (entitled “Rojo Caliente” or “Red Hot” which I can only assume is inspired by daddy’s temperament after learning how his daughter manages her money.)
Though she may be a red-hot sensation in Panama (seriously; it’s like Panamania down there!) Meagan also understands the importance of a top-notch education—she continues to pursue her studies as a first-year arts student at Queen’s University. As a former hot-to-trot auburn-haired Queen’s student myself, I felt an immediate kinship with Meagan—but there’s no denying our university experiences were wildly divergent. The most glaring difference seems to be that Meagan received one million dollars for her ascension into womanhood; I received painful cramps and a note excusing me from gym. From listening to her lyrics, I gather Meagan’s university experience has so far been defined by Gucci bags, diamond rings, and platinum cards with endless charge:
Bling, bling, all expensive things,
That’s rojo caliente!
Superstar, got a nice car,
That’s rojo caliente!
Photoshoot for a magazine,
That’s rojo caliente!
In the club with the V.I.P.,
That’s rojo caliente!
Whereas if I were to pen reggae club beats about my first year at Queen’s, it would have gone a little something like this:
The walk of shame post-Halloween,
That’s rojo caliente!
Selling your CDs so you can buy a box of wine,
That’s rojo caliente!
Trying to get into a bar with an ID that says you’re 29 and from the Northwest Territories,
That’s rojo caliente!
Skipping class because you’re hungover and there’s a Golden Girls marathon on TV,
That’s rojo caliente!
I smell a hit! Someone get Timbaland on the phone!
Have a great spring weekend!
