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 … [Read more...]
The Alvin Ailey Experience
A couple of months ago, one of my foxes sent me a breathless email, saying Alvin Ailey's dance company was coming to town, and that she was going to get a ticket, and that I simply must as well, and won't we have have just the most swell time in the world, getting dressed up and watching dancers do … [Read more...]
Bilingualism and Art
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 … [Read more...]
CHILD ACTORS – What parents need to know
How many times have you seen a child actor on a TV show or in a movie and though "Wow that looks like fun! Bet my son / daughter could do that!" Probably, however, there are many aspects to being a child actor that are not known to many and rarely will you open a parenting magazine and read an … [Read more...]
American Idiot
Last night I was photographing the opening of American Idiot in Toronto. It's very rare that I come out of a show speechless, but in this case, I did. One of my fellow UrbanMoms asked if that was a good thing. In my 140 character tweet, I answered "it's exuberant, … [Read more...]
How Did You Become a Critic?
Today is the start of Toronto's Fringe Theatre Festival. I love the Fringe Fests we have across the country -they're full of dynamic, eclectic, creative performances and you never know what you're going to get. The Toronto fest has 145 shows and I have so many friends performing … [Read more...]
A Fork in the Road
I'm taking a break from celeb interviews and fab photos to share something I've been struggling with for the past few days. For the 5th time in 2.5 years I've been offered a job as the General Manager of a theatre company. I'm starting to wonder if the universe … [Read more...]
A Little Theatre Etiquette, Please
Nowadays we're used to being at the movies with the crunch of popcorn everywhere, the kid kicking the back of your seat and the ever present anticipation of someone's cell phone going off. I'm not sure when that became the acceptable norm, but it's starting to spill over into live theatre as … [Read more...]
Brian Dennehy on Theatre Schools and Stratford
So I bumped into Brian Dennehy the other day. (Yes, that does happen in my life...) I had a serious question to ask him, but I kept expecting him to pull down his lower eyelid, showing me glowing silver alien skin underneath. (Yes, I'd recently re-watched Cocoon...) But, … [Read more...]
How Did You Spend Friday the 13th?
This past Friday was Friday the 13th. Though some, especially those with friggatriskaidekaphobia, think of it only as a day for black cats and bad luck, for many it means a trip to Port Dover. Since 1981 bikers have been gathering in this small picturesque town on the banks of Lake … [Read more...]