Ran into the Pride festivities while running errands downtown. Every colour of the rainbow is welcome here. Then went for Mexican lunch at Yonge & Dundas Square.
Wanted - is a fantastically stylish film with my flavour of the month, James McAvoy. The concepts and visuals are both cartoonish and semi-plausible at the same time. When our hero admonishes someone as not being a top assassin in the Fraternity but just a "thug who can bend bullets" it actually sounds reasonable. The audience on opening night was howling, squealing and clapping along with the newly-contrived action. It felt like a bunch of friends sitting around in a huge living room. NOW Magazine nailed Jolie's contribution, "..she let's her eyeshadow do the acting." An early highlight (and since the entire first half is a breathtakingly screeching, crashing delight - it was hard to pick) involved a keyboard being smashed against some jerk's head and as the keys fly off they assemble in mid-air in slow motion, Scrabble-like to form a message that the audience loudly agreed with. I could have done without some of the extreme violence, but it wouldn't have been the same comic book movie. With the many references made to other films, none has been made to Tim Burton but with the evocative music of Danny Elfman and the automated machinery of the industrial loom, I was reminded of the scenes describing the origins of Edward Scissorhands. But, it's the leaping and spinning cars, speeding trucks and derailing train chase sequences that will linger with me.
Michael Ruse asked himself Has Darwin Expired? and talked to us about his answer. It's hard to imagine that Darwin made mistakes along the way but he did, and he learned from them. Ironically, his legacy has evolved and he never used the word "evolution" in The Origin of Species. The scientific results presented during Plant Sexual Diversity were elegant and straightforward and far more interesting than the research that uncoverd them. The changeable nature of Darwin's Finches was less surprising than the speed with which the changes occurred, usually just one or two generations.
Saturday, June 21Pow Wow - I made my way to a local park to enjoy a little First Nations' hospitality, culture and cuisine. There were plenty of booths selling hand-made crafts and a dancing circle that never stopped. Children loved the do-it-yourself craft table where their creative talents were encouraged. The sun was baking and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. Love that fancy dancing!
Bluenose IIIt was a thrill to step aboard a piece of
Canada's nautical history down at Toronto's harbourfront on the weekend. After walking through the Nova Scotia tourism tent to pick up material for my trip "out east" next week, I stepped back into the sunshine and onto the deck. She is bright and able and so famous the original is featured on our ten cent coin. And, any young man would be honoured to be chosen as crew. Below decks were off limits but a peek (photo, right) revealed comfortable quarters. As it should be.
Star Trek, The Music - stardate 06.20.2008 What a terrific evening with conductor Erich Kunzel and guest hosts John de Lancie (Q) and Robert Picardo (holographic Doctor) plus the full TSO. Add some lighting tricks accompanying special sound effects and it was a crowd-pleaser. They ran through a history of the Star Trek franchise and offered up the themes to most of the movies and some of the battle scenes. I saw fewer uniforms in the audience than I expected. And, the orchestra, tuning up in earnest, approached with evening as a challenging one. The music certainly was magnificant!
L u m i n a t o
Black Watch - June 15 - Closing Night
Second time around I wasn’t as overwhelmed by emotion so I had the opportunity to listen to the words and follow the connected story lines more closely. The sound quality had improved and my ear was more attuned to the accents. Ran into Paul Rattray, “Cammy” at the ROM prior to show time and he reported enjoying Toronto’s patio bars as well as a visit to Niagara. It was a pleasure to meet this respectful and unassuming lead of the show. (second from left)Once again Varsity Arena was hot enough and the bleacher seats uncomfortable enough to put us in an Iraqi state of mind. Once again the lads gave it their all. And once again I loved every, single moment. This time however, I let the tears flow as the lone piper lead the regiment in the final, deadly battle dance. Yes, dance,... and singing, and explosions with special effects. There was also a quiet sequence (Bluies) as one by one each man in the unit opened a letter from home. After dropping it to the floor, they entered into a repetition of haunting gestures reflecting their state of mind. The "cheese on toast" argument that arose in the boredom of the stifling armoured vehicle during the food game was priceless and the (10 seconds) fight that ensued was pure ballet. Incredible, through and through. I'd see it again, if they stayed in town for a longer run. In fact, the show was already sold out in London before opening night. But wait, they're returning to NYC this fall!
Distillery District / Harbourfront - Sat, June 14 
We started out at the Mill Street Brewery for a taste of some organic beer. How about a picture? Don't touch that tap handle! (above left) Smile for the camera
(below left) Stopped for lunch at the One Table display (right) and filled up on oysters and a mini-
bison burger. Met with friends, had a caricature made and cruised through the fabulous Sandra Ainsley Gallery full of glorious glass work. Caught the Luminato Link boat to Harbourfront for a cup of fresh brewed. Swam through a terrific exhibit of Great Lake fish, hung from the ceiling (below)
A Midsummer Night's Dream - June 13
Canon Theatre-I just needed to give over to the theatricality of this show. Con-
sidering that half of Shakespeare's dialogue was spoken in various Indian dialects, and the other half~English~was almost impossible to hear, what else could I do? It was colourful and bawdy and the story was easy to follow after reading it in the program. The three musicians on stage throughout also added character.
Scottish Music Day at Dundas Square - June 7
Cruised up to Dundas Square on Saturday afternoon and stumbled on the Barra MacNeils in concert. Fantastic luck! Six siblings from Cape Breton Island delivering lively Celtic jigs with enthusiasm. I tapped my toes for an hour before heading off to another commitment. Wandered through the Square again later in the evening and enjoyed the spontaneous Scottish square dancing in the crowd. It was a perfect hot summer night with the red canopy overhead. 
Black Watch - June 6, Varsity Arena, Opening Night
It's always such a pleasure when the performance surpasses the hype, as is the case with the boys of the famous Scottish regiment, Black Watch. Not surprisingly, the theatrical dreamland originated in Scotland's off-beat Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This experiential theatre isn't mainstream material -- the "f" and "c" words are tossed out with unconscious abandon, and help the audience enter the psyche of these troubled characters. Their shattered hopes unfold in a series of true stories culled from workshops and research sessions held with soldiers returning from Iraq. A most powerful, visceral cultural commentary for our time. And, I could still weep thinking about all the "shite" I saw, heard and felt. - L- U - M- I -N - A-T -O -
Twelve Angry Men - June 15
Princess of Wales Theatre
Give these men 90 minutes and you, too, may change your mind...about one act theatre. The scene: 1954, late summer, a jury room of a New York City court of law. What unfolds behind the locked door is nothing short of a miracle, especially for the young man who's being tried for murder. Thoroughly engaging. The rain storm was refreshingly realistic. It's understandable why this compelling story has returned to Toronto for the third time.
Craig Ferguson - Massey Hall, June 14
If you like him on Late, Late Night you'd love him live on stage.
His rants included: Did we lose the rainbow symbol to the gay movement while we were all watching the Super Bowl? In LA, as your star power grows, so does your quirky entourage - then gave us some recent examples. Rehab was a lot of fun, especially because his issue, alcoholism, was actually high on the pecking order. The entire section devoted to his enormous body part was hysterical. I knooow!
What have we learned tonight? (far left) A final goodbye (near left) Walked out of Massey Hall and north to the warmth of Dundas Square to hear Bran Van 3000 just starting a set with Drinkin in LA. What great timing!
Toronto Symphony Orchestra- June 7, Roy Thomson Hall - Final performance of the Casual Concert Series It was all "dueling strings" with Bach's Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins. Jacques Israelievitch and March Skazinestsky were terrific. This was followed by the world premier of Dallaire, commissioned by the TSO and containing two parts: I) Sorrow, and II) Redemption. Kelly-Marie Murphy composed a moving piece of music about Romeo D. and designed for Israelievitch and his percussionist son, Michael. Fabulous! The final section belonged to Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major. Jaw-dropping talent by Israelievitch again. I've never heard such high notes on violin. The audience leapt to their feet in appreciation, understandably.
WoofStock 
- June 7, Front & Church Streets
There was a lot of this,
and a bunch of that, 
and plenty of...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Hour, June 5
with George Strombolopolous
Joined the live-to-tape session again. The guest interview was with Lewis Lapham, "journalist, author and one of America's important thinkers." George was personable, as always and the pre-taped segment with Bob Newhart was terrrific. New this time were the prize give-aways. Nothing for me but my memories. Thanks George!
6th Annual Global Health Research Conference - June 2 & 3
Hart House Theatre, University of Toronto
Inspired by a quote from Albert Einstein, this conference was thought-provoking indeed. "Where the world ceases to be the scene of our personal hopes and wishes, where we face it as free beings admiring, asking, and observing, there we enter the realm of Art and Science."
Main topics included: --Vision & Leadership --Technology, Place & Art --Imagination and Research --Music Without Borders --Vulnerability & Community
Keynote conference opener, "Why Art Matters To Health" was delivered by humanitarian/doctor, James Orbinski. He suggested that our existance is defined by the stories we create. And, added that art can help us ask the right questions. Speaking of questions, I was able to ask if he wrote his incredible Noble Peace Prize acceptance lecture himself. Yes, he did and seemed pleased with the compliment. We closed the first day with a screening of his film Triage, pared down to 47 minutes for Newsworld TV. Still powerful but some of my favourite stories are missing - I recommend the full-length 88 minute version.
Most amusing and stimulating speaker was Alex Jadad, Director, Centre for eHealth Innovation at UHN. He shocked us with statistics on technical penetration in the developing world. He claimed you are an "old fart" if you have a land line and mere email accounts. Mobile phones and Facebook allow interconnectedness that transcends space and distance. Introduce yourself to Freakonomics, or Freeconomics, as he called it.
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