Comments Off on Free public screenings of Air Canada’s enRoute Film Festival
Film festival fans can rejoice! Take note of the free public screenings of the annual (and proudly Canadian) enRoute Film Festival.
A free public screening of the nominated short films will take place on Wednesday, November 6 at the Varsity Cinema (55 Bloor St. W., Toronto) from 7 to 8 p.m. ET. An exclusive awards celebration will take place at the Panorama Bar immediately after the screening. The awards ceremony will be hosted by Lainey Lui and etalk Canada, and for the first time ever the announcements will be streamed live on enRoutefilm.com at 9 p.m.
The 2013 Air Canada enRoute Film Festival Award Nominees are:
Sophie Jarvis and Kane Stewart for The Worst Day Ever
Andrew Moir for Just As I Remember
Eileen Peng for Godfather Death
Roman Tchjen and Vaishni Majoomdar for Walk the Moon
R.S.V.P. for the awards ceremony on the Facebook page here. There also happens to be an exclusive screening of the films and a discussion panel at the Phi Centre in Montreal on November 4th and you’re invited.
Millions of Air Canada passengers have had the chance to view the short films on their personal seatback in-flight entertainment system, as well as online at enRoutefilm.com. Voting for the People’s Choice Awards ends on October 31st.
Here’s the quick trailer for the Air Canada enRoute film festival
Halloween is coming up fast! Here’s some of the things to do this Halloween in Toronto on October 31st and prior to that as well. Let us know if there’s anything you would like to see added in the comments below.
Canada’s Wonderland Halloween Haunt
On every weekend night (Oct 24, 25, 26, and 27th), Canada’s Wonderland transforms into a fun, horror-filled nightmare. From mazes with terrifying creatures around every corner to thrill rides that’ll haunt your dreams, it’s everything you fear and can’t wait to experience. Tickets and more info here https://www.canadaswonderland.com/haunt
Toronto Zombie Walk, Saturday Oct 26th.
On Saturday night, zombies will flock to Nathan Phillips Square to partake in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk. In fact, stars from the Evil Dead Musical (see below) will be participating as well. More info here www.torontozombiewalk.ca
MOVIES AND THEATRE Evil Dead Musical
The musical based on the cult classic Sam Raimi films is back and special performances have been slated for October 31 at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. If you dare, sit in Splatter Zone, the ultimate destination for flying limbs, rolling heads and gushing (fake) blood. Splatter zone tickets are so hot that all Splatter Zone seats for the first four weeks of the run were sold out within 20 minutes of being on sale. To accommodate ticket demand, the Splatter Zone capacity has been expanded to include 60 seats. For tickets and more info visit http://evildeadthemusical.com/toronto/
360 Screenings
Each 360 Screenings event is a unique, customized live movie experience with inspired cinematic experiences have played to sold out audiences for Fight Club, Ghost, 28 Days Later and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, each receiving rave reviews. Buzzfeed
Location: Undisclosed Toronto location, revealed 24 hours in advance
Friday, October 25th at 11:00 pm
Saturday, October 26th at 2:00 pm
Saturday, October 26th at 7:00 pm
(each screening offers the same interactive experience)
Cost: $60 – Regular, $40 – Arts Workers/under 30. Cash bar.
Tickets: http://360screenings.com/October2013
Liberty Grand Halloween Haunt
Toronto’s biggest Halloween party is back at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex on Thursday October 31st, 2013. Join thousands to celebrate the most exciting event of the year. Be prepared to sport your best costume as Liberty Grand transforms into a Halloween playground with state of the art production and sound and a roster of top International and local DJs. Admission is $25. For more details visit www.libertyhalloween.com
TREATS For kids: Free Halloween froyo from Yogurty’s
Celebrate Halloween at Yogurty’s with FREE froyo®* for little ghosts and goblins on October 31 (*store staff will hand out 6oz / 170gr cups to kids under 10 years old wearing a costume or mask, limit 1 cup per child). For more info visit www.Yogurtys.com
Comments Off on The Microsoft Surface 2 launch party with deadmau5
The new Microsoft Surface 2 | Photo: John Tan
Yes, Microsoft’s new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 do still need a mouse. But not just any mouse will do. How about Joel Thomas Zimmerman? AKA deadmau5! Our hometown, world-renowed EDM producer was tapped by Microsoft for the Canadian launch of their new tablets at the KoolHaus for a surprise show.
All day long Microsoft street teams wandered downtown Toronto to demo the new tablets and give out wristbands for the launch event. Two-hundred fifty wristbands were also won via contests through social media outlets Twitter and Facebook. Many people also lined up, some for several hours, before the show, to get one of the coveted wristbands.
No doubt, the software giant is targeting the younger demographic by choosing deadmau5. Zimmerman put on a heart-pounding, energy-filled ninety minute set to the delight of the glowstick-sporting crowd.
What about the tablets? No they don’t actually require a mouse, but you can use one if you want to. The Surface 2 is faster, lighter, has more battery life and a higher resolution than its predecessor. The hardware looks sleeker with the new magnesium finish, and the built-in kickstand now opens at two positions. At an entry level price of $449, it’s also less expensive than the original Surface. The Surface Pro 2, on the other hand, attempts to bridge the tablet and laptop worlds. With a more powerful processor and more storage, it is capable of running full desktop-level applications. Its starting price is $899.
Both tablets come preloaded with Microsoft’s newest version of its operating system, Windows 8.1 (RT version for the Surface 2), which has a host of usability improvements, and better integration of Microsoft services such as its app and music stores, cloud services, and Bing search. Microsoft Office is also pre-installed.
The tablets are now available for pre-order, with in-store availability beginning October 22. Windows 8.1 launched on October 17, 2013
Photos from the launch party by Nick Lee except where indicated
Comments Off on Contest: Win tickets to Captain Morgan’s Rock the Boat Party with Classified
UPDATE: Thank you for all the contest entries via Facebook and bonus ballots via Twitter! And now we are glad to have selected these 5 winners. We have contacted them and await email confirmation before finalizing them as winners:
Lillian T.
Dennis P.
Rachel C.
Katrina S.
Shannon S.
We’ve teamed up with Captain Morgan to give away FIVE pairs of tickets to Captain Morgan’s exclusive Rock the Boat party taking place at the Phoenix Concert Theatre on November 8th!
The night will include a live performance by Juno-award winning artist, Classified, multiple interactive experiences, samplings of Captain & Cola… and so much more!
For a chance to win a pair of tickets you must enter through our Facebook registration form. For a BONUS entry via Twitter, tweet “@BestofTorontoTV I want to win tickets to Rock the Boat with #CaptainMorgan #CaptainRocks http://on.fb.me/1cD4KBf“.
Contest ends November 1st at 2:00pm.
Best for GTA residents. No transportation provided. No cash value. Valid ID required, must be 19+ to attend.
Comments Off on Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is now open
At last, Toronto has a refreshing new tourist attraction in the form of Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada conveniently located near the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre. With over 16,000 marine animals and 450 different species of fish and invertebrates (and one species of reptile – the sea turtles), this is a monumental attraction that must be seen to be believed.
DANGEROUS LAGOON
One of the main attractions is definitely the “Dangerous Lagoon”, with a glass viewing tunnel the length of a football field. Inside the tunnel there’s a moving glide-path sidewalk so you can choose to walk or stand under the swimming sharks, green sea turtles, sawfish, and moray eels.
PLANET JELLIES
Another big attraction is the wall of jellyfish (Pacific sea nettle) that are illuminated in various colours including a vibrant, bright red. The words mesmerizing and hypnotizing are used to describe the experience here. They’re contained in the world’s largest kreisel tank.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM OF CANADA
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada boasts to have the biggest shark collection in North America, one of the world’s most extensive jelly fish exhibits, 100+ year old giant lobsters, extremely rare electric blue lobsters, sting ray and bamboo shark touch pools and frequent daily live diving shows. It was fun to sit beside all the children and watch the diver feed the sting rays.
So there’s plenty to see that will satisfy guests young, old and everyone in between. Ripley’s Aquarium is expected to draw in over 2 million visitors per year. Be sure to check it out!
Here’s some quick facts about Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada:
Over 16,000 marine animals
Includes 450 species of fish and invertebrates and one species of reptile (sea turtle)
5.7 million litres of water
12,500 sq m (135,000 sq. ft)
50 live exhibits
97 Life Support System pumps
Over 100 interactive displays
Marine and freshwater habitats from around the world
6 play zones for children including Ripley’s explorer research submarine
Ripley’s Café and Cargo Hold Gift Shop
Ticket prices start from $29.98 for Adults, $19.98 for Youths and Seniors, and $9.98 for Children (Ages 3-5). Children ages 2 and under receive complimentary admission when accompanied by an adult. In comparison the annual prices are a great deal and I would recommend it. The good news is that you can use the admission of a single-day ticket towards an annual pass later, so you don’t have to commit before checking it out!
Adult Annual Pass: $100.00
Youth Annual Pass (ages 6-13): $60.00
Child Annual Pass (ages 3-5): $25.00
Senior Annual Pass (ages 65+): $60.00
Check out Toronto Star’s video about the Ripley’s Aquarium opening
ABOUT THE RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM OF CANADA TEAM
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is also home to a highly-experienced animal husbandry team of more than 20 marine biologists and aquarists. Under the leadership of Director of Husbandry, Andy Dehart, the team is responsible for the long-term care of the animals in the exhibit, as well as overseeing water chemistry, animal nutrition, and animal enrichment. The Aquarium strictly adheres to the standards of animal welfare, veterinary care, wildlife conservation, scientific research, education, staffing, and safety, as regulated by Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA).
