gala statsdown

The telly has been overtaken by charity event ads from singers Nelly Furtado and Chantal Kreviazuk. Nelly is part of "It's Always Something" for Gilda's Club, while Chantal performs for the "One Wish" gala for Make a Wish.

Of course, both events are for great causes. Still, we wanted to see how the two Canadian powerhouses stack up.

So which chanteuse wins this Statsdown?

	Nelly	Chantal
Toronto shout-outs (based on Myspace blog entries)	0	8	Neither was born in Toronto (Nelly was born in Victoria, Chantal in the Peg), but both have a home in Toronto and abroad (Nelly in Portugal, Chantal in Malibu). However, Chantal name-checks Toronto in 8 of her Myspace blog entries while Nelly has a nasty 0. What's up with that? WINNER: Chantal
Torontoist mentions	17	17	Wowza. I wasn't actually expecting this many. And a prime number too. Spooky. WINNER: Tie
Facebook worship	319	15	Torontonians love Facebook. So how many Facebook groups are there in the Toronto-based networks for each of our lovely ladies? Chantal loses out here. She better start poking folks and sending out some free gifts! WINNER: Nelly
Controversy (score out of 10)	0	0	It's a tough call. Both are pretty low-key. Nelly had a silly rumour that she and Steve Nash were a thing when she name-checked him in "Promiscuous." (But who wouldn't want to be an MVP like Steve Nash?) And Chantal flamed Avril over Mrs. Whibley's songwriting abilities, but then quickly backed down and apologized within days. WINNER: None
Statdown Index (Out of 100)	53	37	Now, using my totally non-scientific calculation (giving Facebook an unfortunately hefty weight): Nelly tops our Statdown Index scoring 53 points to Chantal's still-worth 37. Guess people love being Loose over being told Ghost Stories?

rohit's music showcase, edition one

My friend Rohit has excellent taste in music. In fact, it might be so good, it could save your life. Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but he's in med school, so at least he could save your life. Here are one of his local picks!

BELLADONNAKILLZ

Off Amazon for the album As If:

"It's upbeat, happy, techno, and funny. It's got that sound you hate yourself for loving but can't stop repeating." - Static Beats. Belladonnakillz is one of the most unique artists to grace the electronic music scene in what seems like forever producing an almost unheard-of sound in the current U.S. dance market and with surprising results. "a mix of gabber, drum and bass, and hard rock vocals, given the production sense of a pop god, and then over-tweaked with a monstrous equalization that will send your speakers straight to the repair shop.

Hear "Let U Go" off the album here:



Hot? Not?

victor's finds, part I

Victor is a unique duck. He is super smart, cooks like Ratatouille and has a diverse set of interests. Sending me random clips is one of them:

Victor loves "Whose Line Is It Anyway." You can too, now. (I didn't know what Scenes from a Hat were, but it's where the audience gives suggestions from a hat for the improv actors to perform.)

Enjoy!

bell-ted

So, I called Bell to see what was up with HTC Touch users getting the $7/month unlimited data plan and, wow, service gets worse each time I call.

The Touch and the 6800 are similar except the 6800 has a keyboard attached and the Touch was programmed to use the Mobile Browser. Bell will have you think that the keyboard is the big issue -- that's what makes the 6800 a PDA. However, both phones are Bluetooth-enabled and so a Bluetooth keyboard would render that moot.

The main issue remains this: the Touch can use Bell's mobile browser while the 6800 can't. The problem? The Touch gets the same Internet Explorer as the 6800, and data runs on the EV-DO network regardless of browser so the mobile browser issue is moot as well.

In the end, Bell doesn't want to lose any of its business from corporate accounts. So, they'll make up any excuse to differentiate the two. The best part? I'm now getting lectured when I call.

A technical services guy just told me that my best solution is to sell my 6800 and buy a Touch "if you really want it." But, he warned me I'd have to "pay full retail price and break my contract" and pay the fees associated with that. Then, he proceeded to tell me it was like buying an older car (the 6800) and seeing the newer car (the Touch) and asking to refund my old car for the new one. That was insulting. I'm not asking for a new phone, I just want to pay the same price for a similar feature. Actually, it's like the older car has GPS as does the new one and all I want is to pay the same for GPS as on the new car. Then, the guy told me to go to Rogers and Telus if I'm not happy, but the unlimited data plan was a "privilege" for being with Bell.

Right. It's my privilege to pay you almost $1,000 a year. Next, he tells me to do my homework to see that this is the best plan. Oops, buddy. I did.

Apparently, many customers have been calling Bell angry at the exclusivity of the plan. Bell's official response remains that the Touch doesn't have a keyboard. Some company needs to go back to public relations 101.

My full Torontoist post is up here. Start a conversation there or here.

media fridays

Upcoming: Friday Review the Reviews and two new features: Music TO by my friend Rohit and Victor's Space, little oddities from my friend Victor. Watch for it!

bell getting scared?

Bell has announced a $7 unlimited data plan for the HTC Touch and it is spinning madly why the Touch gets a $7 plan, while Blackberrys and other Smartphones pay nearly 10x more. Let's face facts, Bell is scared about the iPhone and making a pre-emptive play. But it won't win any customers with this Jekyll and Hyde play.

I already complained about this here and here.

More details to come.

boys in neverland - august rush review

"August Rush" is about an orphaned boy (Freddie Highmore) who is a musical genius and tries to find his separated parents (Louis and Lila) through the power of music. He believes his keen sense of music will lead him to his parents, who are both skilled musicians. (Musical talent is apparently genetic.)

In a prologue, Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a rocker vocalist, meets Lila (Keri Russell), a Juillard cellist, and they fall in love over a single night. Louis and Lila become separated, but Louis doesn't know that Lila is pregnant and the baby is given to an orphanage without Lila's knowledge by her manipulative father.

August, now almost 11, escapes from his orphanage (after meeting a social worker played by Terrence Howard) and ventures into New York City to find his parents. By using his musical talent, he hopes to reunite with his parents which is his life long dream.

The film has as its basis that being talented (read: good) will bring about good things: the reconciliation with your parents, their rekindled love for each other, the meritocracy of genius. The problem is, the film wants you to be so taken by August that it never sets any obstacles for him. For example, he arrives in New York City and immediately finds shelter and food. His musical talent is never disputed. While many in life see success as a hard climb up, his ascension to fame and glory is an elevator ride, all doe-eyed to the top. To make sure you love August and root for him, the film spends a good time on demonstrating his musical talents. He rocks out to a guitar, even though he's never touched one before. He writes arias minutes (complete with ties and sixteenth rests) after learning the common acronym FACE used for the bottom space notes on sheet music. He succeeds so quickly that it becomes a checklist: escape orphanage, find refuge, learn piano, go to Juillard, write a masterpiece, meet parents.

In following August's journey, poor Lila and Louis are left scrambling to catch up in their stories. Their stories are flat and typical because of two reasons. First, their stories also have no consequences: they leave jobs, they move cities, they change their whole lives - and none of it matters. The world doesn't actually exist in August Rush, just backdrops. Second, they're looking for different things. She is looking for her son. He is looking for her. (Louis never knowing that he has a son until the final frame is a glaring error) Because they actually aren't looking for each other, the story partly fizzles. If only they had found each other first, then went on to look for the son, that would have been powerful. Also, their love is pretty flimsy to begin with since it only went over one night (even Romeo and Juliet gave it a couple of meetings - and they killed themselves). But I have a feeling the story pans out this way because it avoids conflict (how does Louis feel about a son he never knew about? is he still mad that she left him? will they still like each other after a decade?) and the writers want to avoid conflict at all costs. (This is what makes this film a gross feel-good film: a Pizza Pop.)

It's the kind of emotional dullness in the film that is most surprising. It only wants you to feel-good, but it forgets that sometimes the happiest moments come from the saddest moments because we can appreciate them. And the film even misses the happiest moments. The film ends with both parents looking up at their exalted son (wait, is this some kind of Bible thing I don't get?) and then the film fades to black. WHAT? They don't even hug or kiss or play music together? They just stare at each other? Where is the catharsis?. I want to see family stuff. Why did I spend almost two hours if they don't even have a meal together or something?

The actors pull off their roles with dignity, although I wish they were in a better film. They will, likely, be in a successful film though. Although "August Rush" is completely implausible and ridiculous, it's bound to be a hit because it tugs so hard at the heartstrings.

"Lars and the Real Girl" later. And why they are similar.

feel-good films

There are two kinds of feel-good movies. The difference usually comes at the end of the movies as you walk out the door. The good feel-good movies leave a warmth in your heart and tears in your eyes as you walk out into a world that isn't anything like the movie, but you wish it was. The other kind, the gross feel-good movies leave a knot in your stomach and a frown on your face as you walk out feeling cheated, knowing the world in the movie doesn't exist anywhere, and never will.

Often, people who come out of such movies either grumble about how unrealistic it was, while some will excuse themselves with "it's just a movie." The problem is that every movie has to have a logic of its own, similar to have games must have rules. Gross feel-good films don't bother with rules, but instead, just has everyone win regardless. It "feels good" because everyone wins, but by not setting up a framework for why and how everyone wins, the wins are meaningless. Imagine Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader decided to become friends and shared tea over a game of backgammon. Or Indiana Jones had treasures handed to him along with a ticket back to the States. Or the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park decided to go back into their cages, mend the fences and wait until electricity came on. In all three cases, the good guys would "win," but so what?

It's a matter of quality. It's not bad to like a gross feel-good movie, but it is bad to suggest it's the same as a good feel-good movie. It's the difference between a Pizza Pop and a homemade pizza. A Pizza Pop is fast and cheap, but it's not an authentic pizza. I saw two films recently, August Rush and Lars and the Real Girl, one is a Pizza Pop and the other a pizza. Guess which is which?

isn't belinda stronach one smart cookie?

Belinda Stronach is back in the news. This time promoting women's awareness for cancer. Stronach has spoken to CBC and a bunch of other outlets trying to get women to get screened more often and get more funding for cancer treatment. And so, Belinda stays one step ahead of the haters again. Now try and attack me, she scoffs at the Conservatives.

After entering politics when no one thought she would make it, crossing sides when everyone thought it was political suicide (and breaking poor Peter Mackay's heart in the process), Belinda Stronach has re-emerged as a health spokeswoman after having had surgery for cancer.

This woman is like the Madonna of Canadian politics.

I'm not sure how far Belinda would have made it in politics regardless (although she was the most visible female politician since Sheila Copps, I think), but with her craftiness for re-invention, don't be surprised if after a few more years, she pops back in.

See her video interview with the CBC.

(I know I should have posted Belinda's picture, but this hang-dog pic of Mackay is just much, much funnier.)

new torontoist post on maple leaf gardens!

A new post for Torontoist has gone live!

If you've wondered what has been going on with the Maple Leaf Gardens, I have an update for you! The Gardens turned 76 last week, and sadly, things don't seem that different from when it turned 75. What does new owner Loblaw have to say about it? I called and got an answer...

Also, my editor found an amazing archival shot of the Gardens. It's a pretty amazing part of Toronto history. Check it and the article out here.

here we go again

By now, you may have heard of the two labs that have successfully used human cells to create "stem-cell-like" results. The Wisconsin group used foreskin cells (which is fairly common: a lot of skin-healing products are made of neonatal foreskin cells) while the Kyoto group used skin cells. By mixing the cells with 4 - 6 genes, the cells could then be transformed into heart or brain cells. (Read more about it here and here.)

Although the success is well-worth congratulating, there is the looming question of the politics of science. Will people twist this result into an excuse for stopping embryonic stem cell work for good? The problem is that any scientific technique, especially one that requires genetics and viral components, needs to be studied and tested many, many times over before it can be used. In addition, the limitations haven't been discussed yet and with no animal studies or long-term studies done, stopping all other stem research would be imprudent. (Similarly, after the discovery of embryonic stem cells, work with adult stem cells didn't end. And for good reason - science requires people looking at every possible pathway, because so few end up being usable in the end.)

Until more groups replicate these results and put them through more stringent testing, the best I can hope is that this news encourages more people to learn about stem cells so they can have informed opinions.

are you linked in?

LinkedIn is a business networking site, opposed to Facebook, which is a see-if-your-old-friends-got-fat site.

As I imported my webmail contacts, I was surprised how few of my friends were on the site. Granted, not that many are looking for jobs, and with an overwhelming number of researchers and graduate students as friends, business networking on the surface seems less necessary. (Academia has a very set path and it's rare to start networking until after your PhD - and need a job.)

I think that should change. Academia is exactly where networking needs to start much earlier. This way, students with similar research projects can know what each other are doing, obtain help easier and to learn about leading researchers in the field.

Academia seems like the place where this can happen naturally, but with the busy work schedules of graduate students and the need to stay in proximity to their experiments, I don't believe online networking has been taken advantage like it could be.

oh, really?

I'm sure while walking the streets you've noticed the many, many canvassers for Sick Kids out in pairs holding black binders with the Sick Kids logo on the front. Some people look away when walking past, others suddenly go deaf.

I smile and politely tell them that I already donate monthly. Normally, I get a "that's awesome!" or a "right on!" which feels good, because it's a confirmation that I'm doing a good thing. And Sick Kids is a great cause.

The other day, though, as I walked along Bloor, a dirty-haired canvasser looked my way and I told him that I donate, and he got in my face and snarled "oh, really?"

Yes, really. I'm guessing he's the exception to the majority, but with Christmas time upon us, I smell an increase in quota desperation coming...

saturday night live, like in your face

Where is my Canadian version? Where? Where!?

To help staffers who got laid off due to the writer's strike, the SNL cast raised funds by putting on a live show. And it sounds pretty funny too, compared to what goes on air. Where's the R-rated SNL? Can't they put it on the 'Net? (Which makes zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero dollars! With a one in front! - Fred Armisen)

the strike in biz terms

I respect James Surowiecki of the New Yorker. I think his business columns are smart. I'm not too keen on this article though about the strike in the November 19 issue of the New Yorker.

He makes an interesting point that striking is a way for one side to determine if the other is bluffing about their stance. That is, if the other side folds in after a strike, their position was never very strong, and thus, likely bluffing.

Then, however, he includes an article about a bias against fairness. His specific example is that people will not accept a portion of free money if they do not believe it is large enough a share. His stance is that because it's free, anything is better than nothing. However, the question of value comes into play. The writers are performing a job and are asking for fair compensation. They are receiving zero residuals for the internet and new media.

So, to put it into Surowiecki's example, the writers are refusing to get nothing, even if it's free, because it's not large enough a share.

When there's a balance sheet that can be verified by an independent source that internet and new media results in zero profits, I think that's when it's fair to ask the writers to not strike.

cell phone follies

The CBC has a whole section devoted to cell phone fees and confusion. Of course, the CBC's influence? Not a whole lot unless you're the Lottery Corporation.

tasha rejected?!

Things are looking poorly for the Jai and the City Toronto Tasha Kheiriddin View Canada Edition Awareness Right Write Pro Am Type for the Cure.

Wikipedia has rejected my application for an entry for Tasha Kheiriddin. Say what?!

The lame excuse?

This suggestion doesn't sufficiently explain the importance or significance of the subject. See the speedy deletion criteria A7 and/or guidelines on biographies.

Like being one of Maclean's 50 is not enough? (Where she was called: "one of Canada’s leading young right-of-centre thinkers and activists.") Or having written a book that Amazon has only one copy left of? Or being a lecturer at McGill? Come on!

So what exactly did Wikipedia let in? An entry for a bug. And there's only one line on it. Excuse me, but Tasha Kheiriddin is better than a bug. Especially, a stick insect. Why should we support a bug that is too lazy to even create a unique appearance?

Who does Tasha Kheiriddin look like? No one but herself.

Oh, Wikipedia, you will not stop my quest for View: Canadian Edition.

august rush tix

So, a few weeks back I got tickets to see August Rush for free.

And I still came out disappointed.

The actors (including pretty boy Jonathan Rhys Meyers, pictured, as Louis in the film) try their hardest to make it work, but the story works against them.

A full review coming up later, coupled with one for "Lars and the Real Girl." Find out what an orphaned musical genius and a shut-in who imagines a sex doll as his girlfriend have in common.

For now: I went on Saturday to see a film at the Varsity and the sneak peek of "Rush" sold out. Incredible. Although, from my guess, it was mostly older white couples, no doubt following "Rush" with a midnight showing of Beowulf.