Top 5 Halloween Costumes

I was particularly impressed by this year's creative costumes and didn't see nearly as many Swine Flu, Balloon Boys, Lady Gaga's and Michael Jackson's as expected. The most creative costume I saw was definitely "The Blue Screen of Death". It was created by a young woman who was wearing a blue bristol board with the frightening white words you see when you own a PC and it's about to crash.

Here are some snapshots of my top 5 favourite costumes that I saw out this year:


"Ghetto Fabulous"





"Wanda", Waldo's photo taking girlfriend. Looks like she's searching for her man.




"Carlos" - the baby found in a hotel room from the movie "The Hangover"





"Trolls!" This was definitely a blast from the past and also a welcome surprise. The girls dressed as trolls used to play hockey with me at McGill and I hadn't seen them in a few years!






"The Last Supper" - Halloween Styles: Half as many attendees including The Invisible Man, a Cowboy, (me - Nat in a Hat) Jesus in the centre, DJ Johnny LaRue, Ghetto Fabulous and a Pinata ready to be smashed so that chocolate and candy can be eaten for dinner!





Photo credit to Julia Schneider for photos 1, 2 and 3.

Crawling Tecumseth (to come see)

Last month, the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum Young Associates Toronto branch, held their 2nd annual art gallery crawl along Tecumseth Street just south of Queen West.

Like its predecessor, Crawling Nyood, this gallery crawl raised funds to send children of all religious backgrounds and ethnicities to the National Art Museum in Israel.





Participating galleries included: Susan Hobbs, Georgia Scherman Projects, Birch Libralato and Diaz Contemporary, where the crawl concluded with Kelly Mark's neon infused hues, DJ Will Munro's solid tunes, drinks and dessert.








Here are some pictures from the event: If you missed out, stay tuned for other upcoming art related parties.

Proud committee chairs and event organizers

Checking out the art embedded in the wall at Susan Hobbs

Georgia Scherman Projects

Sudoku?

Changing Chocolate Choices

The rise in popularity of dark chocolate continues to be more evident and ubiquitous. With Nestle offering its standard fare in 70% dark chocolate and my local convenience store carrying Green & Black's Organic 70% bars and Cote D'Or's 86%, life has just become a lot more sweeter!

I'll admit that I'm a chocolate snob and would never touch the sugary garbage contained in a Mars Bar, but with real dark chocolate appearing in common snacks, please break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar!


Now that Halloween's over, I thought I'd cheer you up by recommending some delicious dark chocolate to increase your endorphins. Here's a list of some recent chocolate that I've been snacking on:



Light's out for this pumpkin




Nestle's 70% Aero Dark Chocolate Bar - $1 at convenience stores
Cote d'Or 86% Dark Chocolate Bar - $3.50 at Shoppers Drug Mart
Maestrani - swiss organic fair trade espresso 72% Cacao. $4.69 at Pusateri's


Here is a picture of the Maestrani chocolate:












Wish List:
* Peanut, Peanut Butter or Almond Dark Chocolate M&M's
* Reese Peanut Butter Cups with Dark Chocolate and fudge cookies in the middle. The fudge cookie Reese cups were around 10 years ago and added the perfect crunch to an otherwise too soft snack.


TIP: Sprinkle some cinnamon on your Reese Peanut Butter Cups for added flavour

Viral Contests

Viral marketing contests are a great way to connect your target consumer with a brand or product. They force the consumer to spend hours engaging with the brand on a more personal level, showing why its attributes are a part of their lifestyle. This, in turn, leads to stronger brand trust and loyalty.

It's also an honest and easy way to spread the word about this brand or product to others in the target market's social network. With YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook Pages, it's free and simple for marketers to create these contests and for contestants to enter.

Here are two current viral marketing video contests that I've been following. The first is for S-Trip's World Intern contest which is affiliated with MTV. Click here to view my favourite entry, or check it out on the video bar (to the right).

The second is for Vancouver's new Lotto Max contest where you can win a tropical vacation for you and seven friends. Click here for a very creative way to spend $50 million dollars.

Don't forget to vote for your favourites!

Halloween Art'd at Marben

The monthly art show which I curate at Marben Restaurant & Lounge with Pink Mafia just got a nice little write up on toronto.com! Here's what they had to say:

"Monthly pop up gallery Art'd inspires revelers and diners with themed art installations, infusing the restaurant with a semblance of a traditional gallery. The final edition gets a ghoulish makeover with a Halloween theme, as Marben is swathed in images of, or inspired by, creatures of the night.

The use of local art and up-and-coming artists lends the series a particular poignancy. The Halloween edition features Bowman, Andrew Foerster, Ian Bethune, Jean-Paul Langlois and Lisa Vanin, whose works remain in the restaurant until November 25 and are available for purchase."

The fun gets underway at 8pm, with spooky art, $4 Steamwhistle Beers, half price appetizers and a prix-fixe Harvest menu for $35.

Hope to see you tomorrow night!

Costumes optional.

Nuit Blanche 2009

Aside from Halloween, Nuit Blanche has become my favourite night of the year. The city is filled with positive energy and excitement as thousands of Torontonians take to the streets to celebrate contemporary culture.

The concept of Nuit Blanche is well suited to the diversity of Toronto. The three zones chosen to showcase art offer different themes representing their neighbourhood's characteristics. For example, Zone B, which comprises the Financial District, offered spectators a chance to witness local (and somewhat famous) Torontonians playing a live game of Monopoly with real money.


Although I was intrigued by this idea, along with an installation featuring a pool of vodka in Commerce Court (a reflection of the intoxicating power of the high life?) I chose to stick to Zone C.


It's quite difficult to navigate through all three zones in the course of 12 hours, especially while bumping into old friends, drinking and dancing so I figured that one zone would be enough.


Zone C, which was sponsored by Heineken, offered tours taking place in Liberty Village which proved to be a wonderful way to see and makes sense of the art installations. The theme was "Urban Disaster/Catastrophe/Survival Actions" which I found quite fitting for an area of town with "Liberty" in its moniker.














I particularly enjoyed "Bicitycle" or "Bike City" an interactive mobile installation from Japan. The artist was inspired by the lifestyle, innovation and survival skills of homeless people. By attaching recyclable materials and natural resources to the backs of bikes, spectators were invited to ride around and feel what it would be like to bring their necessities with them wherever they went.











I was also extremely impressed by "A Sultry World", another exhibit from Japan, featuring a young woman dressed in a huge scarlet skirt that enveloped the warehouse in which we were standing (in awe). The stark contrast between the white walls and deep red dress was startling.


We were invited to crawl underneath the dress and discover the sensory chamber created in the three meter high space from the stool that the woman was sitting on. In this peaceful alcove, we took turns writing our thoughts in books that were placed on red velvet pillows.


The woman, to my surprise, was wearing army pattern underwear. I assumed that she'd be wearing red velvet lingerie, to match her flowing dress. Then I read the artist's statement and learned that this exhibit was inspired by a friend who contracted HIV. Perhaps the army motif was a sign of defense against the unknown and a symbol of protection from the vulnerability of being a woman.





The Apology Project, from Maria Legault of Toronto, was a cool concept, with 55 people wearing large paper bags over their bodies, crowding a hallway and bumping into people while saying "I'm sorry."


Waiting in line to enter the hallway, I felt like I was gearing up for a game of Red Rover. Unfortunately, the aggression that I was expecting turned out to be nonchalant chants of "I'm sorry". No one actually tried to block me from passing. It was all a bit too easy and lost the effect I was hoping for. The exhibit was supposed to be a reflection of passive aggressive behaviour and comment on the Canadian custom of constantly apologizing. Maybe that's why I was disappointed; the exhibit was too accurate - Canadians really are passive citizens, or at least the 55 chosen to participate were.








Fortunately there were caldrons of hot chocolate and lamb sausages courtesy of Jamie Kennedy to keep the communal spirit of exploration burning. The exhibit "Fire and Sausage: Small Mercies" which was found throughout Liberty Village, tried to create a post apocalyptic environment, in which to count our mercies and share the surplus. There was a definitely a calm aura that descended over those who were sitting on the communal benches sharing blankets and stories.





Finally, we ended our tour by creating our own art in the Heineken Lounge on a digital graffiti wall. Here's my final creation:



Good times indeed! Every year Nuit Blanche gets bigger and better and I can't wait to see what 2010 will bring. Check out this amazing video featuring 10,628 photos from Zone C, which I found on Fotografic Memory's Vimeo page.


Check out this

Toronto's White Night - Nuit Blanche [Zone C] from Fotografic Memory on Vimeo.

">amazing video featuring Zone C in 10, 628 photographs, posted on Vimeo by Fotografic Memory.

Summertime House Music

Happy House is the latest hit from the DFA dance duo, The Juan Maclean. This track always gets me moving and is a sure bet on any popular electronic DJ's summer playlist. The odd thing about this song is that it sounds awfully similar to Sunday Afternoon by Eddie Matos, one of my all time favourite house/acid jazz songs.

Even though the latter conjures up images of chilled out beach parties on a Sunday afternoon, I first heard it while at an apres-ski party in Whistler, B.C. at The Four Season Hotel bar. Substitute snow for sand; sweaters for skin and you get the picture.

The jazzy interludes of this upbeat track were perfect for the classy atmosphere of the lounge and still managed to give me goosebumps (even though we were sitting in front of the fireplace). Happy songs work well in Whistler because it's such a happy place - especially when the sun's shining and there's plenty of powder.

Aside from the different octave levels and the fact that there's singing in "Happy House", these songs still manage to remind me of each other. Whether it's the similar pattern of beats at the 1:20 mark of "Happy House" or just the positive vibe that they both radiate, it's remarkable how energized they both make me feel.

While on the topic of happy house music, I'd like to recommend a blog that I've been checking out daily for poolside lounge music. Binary is a family of L.A. based dance music producers and artists that has some great tunes for your listening pleasure.

So What Records also offers terrific soul/house/jazzy music with a Latin/Afro-beat feel that's perfect for the summer. Based out of Tel-Aviv, Israel, it makes sense that these guys are experts when it comes to playing music for beaches and sunshine.

Finally, I came across this Holy Ghost (also from DFA records) remix of this Jazzanova song that I absolutely adore! The track is called I Can See and is featured on Jazzanova's most recent album Of All The Things which came out in December 0f 2008. Usually remixes tend to speed up songs, but this one slows downs the lyrics, thereby emphasizes the powerful vocals of Ben Westbeech. The fleeting electro twinkle that tends to come & go throughout the track really highlights the uplifting qualities of the song and reminds me of a shooting star.

Pale Horses

Check out this beautiful video for the song, Pale Horses, off of Moby's latest album which comes out on Tuesday, called, Wait for Me.

The song and video remind me of a dream sequence where you're running into someone you once loved & lost and the happy and excited feelings associated with this chance encounter.

Like the popular children's novel which I read in French class, Le Petit Prince, the song emphasizes that harsh reality that even if love is ever lasting, people (or animals and plants in the case of The Little Prince) are ephemeral.

The song's haunting melody complements the video's monochromatic colour scheme nicely and the cartoon medium makes this melancholy video enjoyable to watch.

Music Spotlight: Lioness

The name Lioness is an appropriate moniker for one of Toronto's up & coming indie alternative rock bands. With a sultry voice that's powerful and majestic, Vanessa Fischer, lead singer of Lioness, is establishing a reigning title over the music kingdom.

With the help of her bandmates (formerly of controller.controller) Lioness has crafted a dark, addictive disco sound that's mesmerizing to both the ear and the heart. Their hit single "You're My Heart" has been remixed by such prominent DJ's as Mansion, Pilot Priest and Ccenturiess.

You can check out the Mansion remix by clicking here.

Don't you think that Vanessa's voice sounds awfully similar to the lead singer of The Gossip?

If you live in the Toronto area, I'd recommend checking out Lioness tomorrow night when they DJ at Marben for the K-OS after party, or next Wednesday when they play live at MTV.

Tassoni Brasil

I recently attended the Tassoni Brazil fashion show in the Distillery District during alternative fashion week in Toronto (F.A.T.) and was blown away by the sophisticated but edgy styles from the Resort '10 Collection.

Tassoni Brazil is the creative product of fashion forward designers, Joseph Tassoni from Toronto and his Brazilian partner, Andre Chiarelli.



Their look is upscale boho-chic, combined with sexy swimwear influenced by the beaches of Rio.













I absolutely love this Boldly Brazilian Green Bathing Suit!






The black and white stripes on their men's shirts add a nice contrast to the bold colours and whimsical animal like caricatures.









Notice the jewelery and scarves that the models are wearing. Everything is made in Sao Paulo but can be ordered and delivered to North America by emailing sales@tassonibrasil.com


All photos featured in this posting were courtesy of Geoffrey Knott, except for the top one.