Held at The Carlu on February 20th, 2015, the 13th annual ACTRA awards honoured the best performances in 2014 by members of the union of 15,000 professional film, video and new media performers.
Known for her dramatic entrances, popular socialite and stylist for The Room, Jenna Bitove Naumovich, commanded everyone’s attention while at the CAFA awards (Canada Arts and Fashion Awards). Bitove chose a red stunner from Canadian designer Mikael D’s pre-fall 2015 collection, definitely a conversation starter.
The Audi Downtown Showroom once again hosted the opening party for TOM (Toronto Men’s Fashion Week) last night, Monday 23rd designers attended, excited for the upcoming lineup of men’s fashion shows all happening this week at their new home 444 Yonge St. at College Park.
There’s nothing like curing those dreaded winter blues with some laughs and giggles. Luckily, Starvox Entertainment has brought Trey Parker’s highly anticipated Cannibal! The Musical to stage at the Mirvish Panasonic Theatre (651 Yonge St.). We checked out the show on opening night as it kicked off to an exciting start.
On February 17th we attended Winter Provisions – a private seasonal food and drink popup presented by Provisions Catering and Events. It was an event intended to showcase the Provisions artisan menu from executive chef and co-owner Kevin Castonguay, formerly of Grace restaurant.
Bigger and better, The Artist Project is back this weekend, maturing and growing in a variety of ways in it’s 8th year. Catch it at the Better Living Centre at the Exhibition until February 22nd. In the midst of the fray of opening night last night, I was lucky to partake in a stroll up and down the aisles with show director, Claire Taylor.
What is old is new again and conceptualized in the re-invention of Toronto’s beloved former Panorama Lounge on the 51st floor of Manulife Centre. Add a mixture of elegance, glamour, luxury, and hospitality to complement. The design, touches and finishes are reminiscent of the golden age of the 1920’s with a modern Los Angeles inspired flair; warm, earthy wood textures against palettes of cooler tones, accentuated by a glossy white ceiling.
So oddly enough, we got invited to be part of a Canadian plumbing faucet company’s 20th anniversary celebration at St James Cathedral Church last week on Feb 11, 2015. While we weren’t sure what to expect, we were blown away by the dazzling array of lively performances and entertainment which kept guests dancing and singing late into the night.
“Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out for the fifty cents”.
The original blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe, had once famously and cleverly explained out of frustration from being labeled by the very industry that propelled her to stardom. Even after 53 years since her untimely death, she is still revered and now celebrated in Nu Musical Productions’ one-woman show, Marilyn: Forever Blonde. Starring the acclaimed Sunny Thompson, Marilyn was reborn on stage at the historic Winter Garden Theatre last week.
More and more, young professionals are getting involved in charitable causes, and so what a great idea it was for the Children’s Aid Foundation to conceive an event targeted at young professionals. Hence, the first ever Suitcase Party was born, held at The Citizen on February 11th, 2015. It was a very exclusive event, with only 650 tickets available which sold out quickly.
The Forth restaurant presented a “World of Whisky Lounge” event on February 5th, 2015 featuring whisky and rye varieties from around the world. Spirits from Canada, United States, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, and India were represented at the event and were been paired with some scrumptious creations from Chef Zach Albertsen.
On now until Feb 22, 2015, there’s many reasons that the CIAS Canadian International Auto Show draws in the crowds: you could be looking for your next car to buy right now, or your next dream car to buy in the near future. Or just take in the beautiful designs. Here are our favourites from the North and South Buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
For something different, I was part of an interesting and intimate cooking meets wearable tech lunch event hosted by Samsung Canada on February 5, 2015. While we got briefed on the culinary session with Campagnolo’s owner, Chef Craig Harding, we tried the soon to be released, duo Samsung Galaxy Note Edge smartphone and also the Samsung Gear S wristband.
Mercatto has opened its newest central location, Taverna Mercatto between the ACC and the Rogers Centre at the Southcore Financial Centre at 120 Bremner Blvd. It opened its doors to the neighbourhood for a sampling of the menu by Executive Chef Doug Neigel accompanied by Taverna’s drink menu. The bar is one of the largest among Mercatto’s restaurants, and with a convenient location, ideal for tourists and the downtown crowd to gather for after work drinks, lunch or even an afternoon apertivo with antipasti.
The stylish and happening 2nd Floor Events only opened in 2013, and has quickly become one of Toronto’s most popular event venues located above popular ping-pong venue SPIN at King West. Just last year, we were at 2nd Floor for several occasions, including The Tastemakers book launch, the inaugural Taste of Toronto preview, and the Open Wines Party. Now, 2nd Floor Events is taking it up to another level, with the launch of their own in-house catering service.
Body By Chosen opened its doors in Toronto in December 2014 and already has a serious following. It not only delivers results but also a sense of community that drives aspirations for a healthy lifestyle. Try it once, and you’ll want to do it again.
Before South Park and The Book of Mormon, Trey Parker’s independent comedy musical film debut, Cannibal! The Musical won over audiences and became a cult favourite. Now on February 10th, 2015 at the Panasonic Theatre (651 Yonge St.), Cannibal! marks its world premiere as a re-vamped stage show. Performed by Elicia MacKenzie (from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Sound of Music”) and Triple Sensation’s Liam Tobin, with lyrics and music by Christopher Bond, Aaron Eyre and Trevor Martin, this Parker-Stone collaboration promises to deliver an evening of wild fun. Don’t miss out on all the new jokes and songs in this stage version.
Putting an exclamation point near the end of FFWD Advertising Week 2015 on Jan 29, 2015, Ad Ball is always a vibrant industry party bringing together the advertising and marketing industry to let loose after a series of seminars and speaker series. This year it took place once again at Uniun night club.
It’s almost time for this year’s edition of The Artist Project contemporary art fair at Exhibition Place and we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the opening night party!
Last night’s sold-out 2015 edition of the Motionball gala in Toronto was a glamorous charity bash once again taking over all the rooms of the Liberty Grand filled by 2,500 guests. We rated last year’s Motionball as one of Toronto’s Top Annual Events of 2014 and this was another great one jam-packed with entertainment, art, and fun all coming together in support of Special Olympics Canada.
Libraries serve as centres of discovery and communication as well as repositories of history, language, and culture. However, for the 10th Book Lovers Ball, the Toronto Public Library Foundation (TPLF) proved that they can be a pretty damn spectacular place to party as well.
Blowfish Restaurant’s newest extension, cocktail and sake lounge BarFish (668 King St. W) opened its doors with a warm welcome. It’s easy to see why this latest addition to King West satisfies Toronto’s demand and trend for designer cocktails and Asian fusion tastes for the last decade.
Nestled in a Queen Street East neighbourhood, in a rather inconspicuous building, the purveyors, Petite & Sweet are hard at work creating some tasty and visually stunning confections. We had a chance to delve into their sweet, confectionary world.
On January 21st 2015, Umbra celebrated their 35th Anniversary and much like their products, it was an effortlessly stylish affair at their flagship store at Queen and John. The event was brimming with staff, media and VIPs. Umbra’s founders, Paul Rowan and Les Mandelbaum were on hand to help celebrate this special occasion. Umbra’s designers current and former were there including Karim Rashid who designed some of Umbra’s most successful products. (Remember the Garbino Can – 1997 and OH Chair – 1999?). The event was filled with the sound of live bands, great food and drinks among the backdrop the entire Umbra collection in the flagship store.
When you get a chance to have an elegant dinner at Toronto’s historic Casa Loma, you immediately carpe diem that opportunity. Take, for example, this Johnnie Walker whisky pairing dinner on the eve of Robbie Burns Day, on Saturday evening, January 24th.
The CAFA awards (Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards) was the place to be last night for everyone in the fashion industry. The Fairmont Royal York housed the gala for the second year in a row and brought out the fashion vip, who were carefully styled and studded to the max.
It’s that time of the year again – we’re in the middle of winter, dreaming of warmer weather to come. Thankfully, winter also means that one of our favourite Toronto culinary events is here – Winterlicious! It’s when restaurants from all over the city offer three course, prix-fixe menus, allowing you to discover places you’ve always wanted to try, or might not have even known about. We’re here to give you a preview of the Winterlicious dinner menu of one of Toronto’s most upscale restaurants, Café Boulud, located in the Yorkville neighbourhood inside the Four Seasons Hotel.
Montecito opened its doors late last summer, and this winter Montecito has launched a new brunch experience as part of their new weekly programming. Last Sunday, we had the chance to check it out. For only $35, you too can try the new brunch buffet at Montecito, and this is no ordinary buffet.
CityPlace is as urban as a Toronto neighbourhood gets, and so the addition of a rustic Italian trattoria is exactly what this neighbourhood needed. Città brings traditional Italian dining, with its simple ingredients and time-honoured culinary techniques, to this bustling neighbourhood, and based on our experience, it’s surely to become a favourite among the neighbourhood locals and Torontonians alike.
As you’ve probably heard by now, Jan 28, 2015 is the day to talk about mental health and to end the stigma associated with mental health. I’ve watched the new one-hour documentary about Clara’s Big Ride. It is a moving look at the coast-to-coast bike journey of six-time Canadian Olympian, Clara Hughes, and ten people who have mental illness. I really think everyone should watch it, too. You can watch it now online and on-demand on Crave.TV and CTV.ca. It also airs tonight on CTV at 7pm EST.
There’s 5 simple ways to help end the stigma today.