cbc launches new shows for 2008

If you've been watching CBC, you'll have seen the numerous previews for the new winter series launching in the upcoming weeks. The shows include: MVP, like Footballers Wive$ for hockey, The Border, a drama about guarding the border, Sophie, a comedy about a single mom, and jPod, based on the Douglas Coupland novel.

The series are getting positive buzz from the Globe and Mail. Most of the buzz seems to be centered on MVP, including this choice quip:

“Poor Dillon, the rookie, is naked half the time,” says Booth with a laugh. “I know the trailer for MVP is the secret lives of hockey wives, and there are a lot of breasts and legs, but honestly, there are more naked men in the series than women.”

So, will the shows be any good?

there will be blood

How fitting that a story on people stealing gasoline runs in the Star the same day "There Will Be Blood" opens. Greed and oil are linked then and now.

Apparently, customers have got more irate at gas prices and the station clerks. Some customers have started stealing gas, while others have verbally abused station clerks.

First, this is completely inappropriate. Gas prices may be high, but they have been at the 90+ cent range for almost a year. This provides people the time to calibrate and adjust their budgets. Perhaps I am pessimistic, but I suspect people are unwilling to give up luxuries such as buying Tim Hortons, talking on cell phones, or watching satellite television and, instead, complain about gas price. Assume people drive 500km/week, on a car with fuel efficiency of 10L/100km (like the Malibu), a 15 cent per litre rise increase the cost of gas by $7.50 a week. (Some may note that the rise from 70 cents a litre means a much larger strain on resources. This is true, but with the demand for oil, prices were going to go up, and, now, we need to look at the current level of gasoline prices. 70 cents a litre days are over!)

Many people are living beyond their means and express their dissatisfaction (or fear) at the most obvious price in front of them, the weekly purchase of gas. People are constantly bombarded with the price of oil and see the prices of gas at the stations. Hence, people have equated it as a barometer of their costs. Yet, they ignore items they can trim from their budgets. Cut just two lattes a week to make up the difference. (But people ask: why do I have to give up my luxury to pay for a necessity like gas?)

The victims, of course, are the gas station workers who have the least power. People are content venting their frustration at them instead of voicing their concerns to Big Oil. With oil companies making killer profits year after year, oil execs give themselves generous bonuses.

The solution: use your car as little as possible. Reduce gasoline consumption, provoke real change.

picture of the day, part one

I had chana (or channa), or chickpea curry, in two forms for lunch today: in a roti, and as a doubles. Doubles, a street food, are like sandwichs, with two pieces of fried dough known as bara and then with stuffing in between. For five bucks, I got a small roti, one double, and a diet Pepsi! Hours later, I'm still full. For anyone who likes roti, doubles are a must...

This pic is of Roti Roti in Rexdale.

hillary wishes she'd visited one more corn field

Iowa Complete results Democrats Vote % Del Obama 940 38 16 Edwards 744 30 14 Clinton 737 29 15 Richardson 53 2 0 Biden 23 1 0 Uncommitted 3 0 0 Dodd 1 0 0 Gravel 0 0 0 100% of precincts Updated: 10:45 AM Republicans Vote % Del Huckabee 39,814 34 30 Romney 29,405 25 7 Thompson 15,521 13 0 McCain 15,248 13 0 Paul 11,598 10 0 Giuliani 4,013 3 0 Hunter 515 0 0 Tancredo 5 0 0

Off USAToday, I honestly don't understand why Iowa matters for Democrats. 2,300 people voted in total for all Democratic nominees, or only 2/3 of those who voted for 6th place Giuliani in the Republican race. Uh, and this is supposed to be significant? Someone will have to explain the math to me. Especially if Hillary had 7 more friends, she'd be in 2nd place.

Well, in high school, for valedictorian, my friends and I, like, totally decided one of us should be it, right, y'know? So, we managed to get, like, 75 votes for her, and like, I think she won 2nd place or something. So, um, like, can we be a Democratic nominee too?

get your free(ak) on

Today is the free screening of "There Will Be Blood" at the Scotiabank Theatre. Free admit-two tickets were given to media outlets such as 1010, Eye Weekly, and Torontoist. But I realized something. Your chances of getting free stuff are higher on Torontoist since a) the contests on Torontoist can be first-come, first-served and b) a smaller readership means you're more likely to win.

Another reason to read Torontoist.

Just a thought.

picture of the day: TTC

Sometimes I hate the subway, or more specifically, the people who ride the subway. While walking down the stairs to reach the platform, there are always slow walkers who choose to take up the entire width of the stairway. I believe people should walk at their own pace, but not block other people's passage. It's so inconsiderate.

Even more so when a train approaches and those same people leisurely making their way down the stairs rush at the last minute to catch the train, but have foiled the chances of all the others behind them.

It's similar to driving on the highway. There are always slow drivers who will only speed up when you need to pass them and will slow down if you try to go behind them.

If TTC service was more regular then missing a train wouldn't be so bad. But you know the train you just missed is the last one for a good ten to fifteen minutes.

lamest feud ever

Apparently, Nelly Furtado and Fergie were in a feud. (Well, maybe are, since Ryan "I'm a tool" Seacrest referenced it in his year-end countdown.) But if you hadn't heard about it, here are the details:

Nelly released "Loose" in June 2006 and Fergie released "Dutchess" in September 2006. Nelly's lead single was Promiscuous. In Fergie's song "Fergalicious," she has a line "I'm not promiscuous." Nelly concluded the song might be about her and was upset because she wondered if Fergie and William (I'm not spelling his name any other way than that) had bit her style and lyrics. (Especially since in "Maneater" and "London Bridge," both use "me love you long time"--which is really less funny when non-Asians say it... ooh, I'ma gonna take on both of them in a new feud!)

So, Nelly spat a few lines at Fergie in "Give It to Me" and Fergie got wind that it might be about her. Now, let me paste the lines in for you, because what Nelly writes is about 1/100th as nasty as Perez Hilton.

I'm the type of girl that'll look you dead in the eye (eye)
I'm real as it comes if you don't know why im fly y-y-y-y
Seen ya try to switch it up, but girl you ain't got to
I'm the wonderwoman, let me go get my ropes
I'm a supermodel and mummy, sí, mummy
Amnesty international, got Bangkok to Montauk on lock
You love my ass and my abs in the video of promiscuous
My style is ridiculous (ridic-dic-diculous-culous-culous)

Uh-oh. My grandma spits out worse putdowns than that. Nelly, stick to singing about birds and grass and love. Anyhow, Fergie got upset and retaliated on some other song with the lines:

But they know I ain't promisciuous
So real this chick up
And let the ladies know the real from the fake
You got a problem? Come and say it to my face!
You got a problem? Come and say it in my face! (Say it in my face!)
Fergie-Ferg make an impact
I'ma pull your wig back

Ooh, Fergie will tug at your hair! And then, she might tell people you went to second base with the basketball team. Lastly, she'll force you listen to "My Lumps" continuously.

Uh, worse feud ever. Remember when Mariah and Madonna were feuding? That was diva.

If anything, Fergie has stolen borrowed gratuitously from Gwen who herself bit paid homage to Madonna. "Glamorous" is "Luxurious" with a spelling lesson. "Big Girls Don't Cry" could be "Cool" or "4 in the Morning." Even the word "Fergalicious" stems from Beyonce et al. starting the trend with "Bootylicious." Maybe next year, Fergie will go the Amy Winehouse route. I can't wait for Fergie's new album so I can hear "Back to Black" all over again.

new year's eve dinner: chinese edition

Yum. I didn't have turkey once this holiday...

suburbanites take go for free, still complain

GO Transit followed the TTC's decision to give free rides last night ostensibly to reduce drunk driving. However, in this article from the Star, the suburbanites decry that GO didn't extend to hours to allow them to get home. (For example, the last train from downtown to Stouffville was at 12:40 a.m.)

Amy Pivatto, 23, and Sausha Foebel, 28, both believed GO should have extended its hours along with offering a free ride.

"You can take the train there but you can't take it back," Pivatto said, while revelling with friends on the platform.

Heading inside to find a seat for their ride into the city, Foebel said they would each have to pay $30 for a taxi home, while Toronto residents would be able to ride the TTC into the small hours for free.

"It's not fair," she said. "Everyone in Toronto, they can walk everywhere or take a taxi for $5."

Granted, celebrating at midnight and then rushing back for a 12:40 train is inconvenient, but a couple of things annoy me.

First, why is it GO Transit's responsibility to take care of people who travel downtown for New Year's? Boo fucking hoo to the suburbanites who don't pay property taxes downtown or the high cost of rent, but still want to enjoy the services provided in the core. Make friends downtown and stay over; otherwise, suck it up, drive down, and have a designated driver.

Second, I love how the one girl says it's unfair that because she chose to come downtown and chose to live in the 'burbs that she can't walk home or cab it for cheap. How is that "not fair?" This woman is grown and well in her 20's. Doesn't she understand that her choices are her own responsibility? If you can stomach the cost for cover, drinks and a snazzy new outfit for the occasion, then you can also handle $30 for a cab ride. Just drink less.

And please, please, please give me the number to this cab driver who will get you home for $5. For me , a cab ride of $5 gets me one block, maybe two (and probably a pretty pissed off cab driver).

Another case of the "me, me, me's." Why did the Star even print their comments?

happy new year!

2008 is upon us! (Party time, right?)

A) It's a leap year!
B) It's a Sexy year!
C) It's a year when you will get back another penny for every dollar you spend! (Buy an iPod touch, get a free latte! It's not like the government could have used $6 billion for anything better!)

Guess which one excites me the least?

new year resolutions

Alright, so I've been doing this blogging thing for a couple of months now. I think I am getting the hang of it. (Kinda.)

Expect these changes in the new year!

Every day, I hope to post the Stu-pic of the Day. Just me capturing the city as I go by. Expect that to launch New Year's Day.

Every week or two, I will have an ad up that is ridiculous and I will get you, my friends, to help me poke fun at them. I think blogs are boring in their uni-directional, so get ready to get harassed! I hope to get the first Ad Panel up by January 14, 2008.

Every 3 to 4 weeks, I will post a non-fiction essay called Fractured in the vein of David Sedaris, or maybe what a Sex and the City column might look like if in the paper (except not about sex, well, maybe).

That plus the regularly goofy blogs I post and my work on Torontoist should give you about as much of me as you can stomach (swallow?)... no?

Happy New Year's!