Is it The End or the Beginning?

(If this seems off-topic, I apologize - it's for class. But feel free to read it anyway.)

Remember the Y2K paranoia? People could do nothing but stockpile canned foods, bottled water and AA batteries while they waited for the Dark Age. Emotions ran high and panic ran, well, everywhere really.

Sure enough, at the stroke of midnight, everyone was fine – sheepish but fine (not to mention ridiculously well-equipped for a romantic dinner of canned tuna by candlelight).

The End, CBC’s three part series on the fate of traditional media, beckons me back to that time. Hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, The End explores new emerging digital media and the threat they pose to the survival of terrestrial radio, television, and print media.

 Over the course of the three sections, there seems to be two camps:

1. Tradition: the stodgy snobs and starchy suits preaching order, discipline and the “right” way.
2. Revolution: the young rebels, with their shaggy hair and their trendy slang, rolling their eyes and speaking in air quotes about freedom, choice and democracy. 

With radio it’s CHUM FM vs. XM Satellite.

With television it’s CNN vs. GNN (Guerilla News Network).

With print it’s Margaret Atwood vs. Google Books.

While both sides get in some good digs (my personal favorite being Margaret Atwood’s snide “Have you ever had your system crash?... Books don’t crash”), neither one seems to present a solution. They just kind of stand there, sticking their tongues out and blowing raspberries.

In the meantime, there are some who have decided to make friends and share their toys. 

The End highlights some media outlets that are working towards a middle ground. My favorite example, The New York Times, refer to themselves as “platform agnostic”: they don’t care how their content reaches the masses so long as it does. Although they still offer the print version of their magazine, they also offer it online, in podcast, on video, and along with discussions, blogs, and photography. They’ve even started mixing up the visual layout, offering everything from traditional print style to block text and bullet point. And why not?

Yes, audiences now expect choice.

Yes, audiences now expect personalization.

Yes, audiences now expect variety.

So doesn’t it make sense to offer more than ONE SINGLE SOLUTION?

I think NYT has it right. I hope when the dust settles the others are standing behind them. Actually no, scratch that - I hope the dust never settles at all. I hope media platforms continue to evolve and diversify without getting stuck in the mud ever again.

Drink Like a King

Usually, when someone gives you a tut, they’re not being complimentary. But today, the disapproval dies.

Today you are worshipped by the masses.

Today you are showered with gifts.

Today you drink like a king.

From now until next April, the Art Gallery of Ontario is hosting a King Tut exhibit, “The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs.” In its honor, the Fairmont Royal York hotelhas commissioned an honorary cocktail: the Tut-tini.

Yea, I know, shameless corporate promo, but it’s actually pretty swanky. It’s spiked with real flecks of 24-karat gold – even if you end up dumping it, you’ll still feel like a high roller haughtily washing money down the drain.

Try it yourself. With its warm spicy flavors and candy tones, it’s a great drink for the holidays. 

You’ll love it (trust me):

-Fresh Ice

-1 oz vodka (they recommend Grey Goose)

-1/2 oz Goldschlager

-1 oz butter ripple liquer

-splash of cranberry juice

Add ice to a cocktail shaker. Add other ingredients except cranberry juice. Gently shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with cranberry juice. Makes 1 drink.

Finding the Spark when you're Feeling Burnt Out: Touched by Fire

You know what they say: when you play with fire you get burned. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing (look at Richard Simmons). Sometimes you can harness the blaze into just the spark you need.

Enter Touched by Fire: art exhibition and gala.

Sponsored by the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario (MDAO), Touched by Fire showcases the artistic creations of artists affected by mood disorders. From anxietyand depression to bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder, mood disorders are enough to break even the strongest of us down into weepy self-loathing puddles of pity. But these artists don’t give in.

("Beethoven" Ingrid Vellekoop)

This event is about running the condition, not letting the condition run you. It’s about channeling its power into constructive, rather than destructive, means (that’s right, use the force, Luke). And believe me, those means bring some pretty impressive ends – just look at Michelangelo, Van Gogh or Georgia O’Keefe.

My personal favorites works are by artist Ingrid Vellekoop, who works through her clinical depression to capture the acute facial expressions of her subjects. She works with a wide range of media and does a lot of celebrity portraits. My personal favorites are her mixed media work of Beethoven and her oil painting of Bob Dylan.

("Bob Dylan" Ingrid Vellekoop)

The Touched by Fire exhibition and gala is this Thursday night (November 26^th) at the Royal Ontario Museum (if you’re interested, check out the Facebook group). If you can’t make it, be sure to check out the online gallery. It features an enormous collection of drawings, paintings, photography, digital art, and mixed media.

Laughter Really is the Best Medicine (Seriously)

My very best friend has a laugh bordering legendary. I lovingly refer to it as her banshee cackle. Despite her extremely small stature, her laugh is strong, it’s shrill, and it carries (seriously, it’s like seeing a baby burp out a Buick).

Not surprisingly, her outbursts can cause quite the scene. Sometimes people get a little embarrassed and, although they laugh too, it’s often out of nerves – like a ‘don’t make any sudden moves’ kind of thing.

As for me, I revel in it, keeling over, tearing up, and gasping for air.

And, frankly, so should everyone else.

According to HelpGuide.org, laughter is good for the mind, body, and soul: it’s a mood-booster, an ab and shoulder workout, and a focus and productivity booster (take that crusty librarians!!). 

It’s also great to ward off the flu and other icky stuff, decreasing stress hormones and increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies. 

And of course, laughter shows you’ve got heart (and a healthy one at that): it improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, lowering your risk for heart attack and other cardio problems.

So buck your stoic study habits and quit stockpiling cough syrup for the apocalypse. It’s time to chortle, chuckle, giggle and guffaw. You’ll thank yourself for it later (even if the disrupted bystanders don’t…)

At the Heart of Hip Hop: My Top 5

When you take off the bling, empty the bank account, and send home the bodyguards, there’s not much left to hip hop.

Or so the story goes.

But I firmly believe it can be (although not always) more than smoking mirrors. That’s why I love acoustic covers – because when you strip the songs down to their bare essentials, you’re still left with something compelling. Here are my top five:

5. I Try (Ben Taylor covering Macy Gray)

Unhindered by Gray’s gimmicky voice, you suddenly hear the very simple, but very relatable, appeal of the heartbroken everyman struggling to find closure.

4. Whatever You Like (Anya Marina covering T.I.)

(I know it’s a little trill but bear with me – it’s more the theory than the execution) 

In this rendition the cocky promises of a high-rolling sugar daddy are emptied of the glitz and glamour, leaving only the weary, emotionally bankrupt transaction between a prostitute and a proprietor.

3. Cry Me a River (Glen Hansard covering Justin Timberlake)

Hansard’s low, powerful snarl riddles this rendition with rage: to falsetto comes force, to soul comes spite. Parts of it actually sound like he’s singing through clenched teeth. This is one bitter boyfriend-past.

2. Hey Ya (Matt Weddle covering Outkast)

Without the upbeat, rapid-fire of Andre 3000, the previously overlooked lyrics emerge as a shocking surrender to a defeated love. The most surprising verse (edited for redundancy):

“If what they say is, “nothing is forever,” then what makes love the exception? So why are we so in denial when we know we’re not happy here?”

1. Crazy (Ray Lamontagne covering Gnarls Barkley)

Although I admittedly adore the original, Lamontagne’s take hits the tortured psychological battle home. There’s something about the texture of his voice that makes you feel the agony and reckless abandon of being on the brink of mental breakdown. 

Apologies for the Technical Difficulties

Hey all - I just wanted to take a brief interlude to apologize for some recent technical difficulties. For a couple of days some of the photos on the site were missing - if you tried to see them and couldn't I'm sorry. It's taken me a couple hours but the problem should be rectified.

The only thing I couldn't fix was a link to the Modelinia video (which has actually been disabled), which I have replaced with a similar one.

Sorry for any inconvenience :)

The Drive Thru Curse is Broken

It’s a well-known fact that my father is cursed by all things drive-thru: anything that can go wrong will. Recently, I’ve discovered it may be genetic.

It started with a series of leaking cups – you know, they dribble just enough to sear your flesh but you can’t drop them, or even jerk them quickly to the cupholder, for fear that the precariously placed lid will pop off. I know these details intimately because twice the lids HAVE actually popped off, bathing me in piping hot coffee. And that was just the beginning.

Needless to say, a quick trip through the drive-thru puts me on instant alert (which is particularly unfortunate since I am also afflicted with a serious caffeine addiction).

This morning was no exception. Having awoken to find my own cream had expired, I was forced to venture out into the world to scavenge for my own fix. Now, I’m a house-bred creature – casting me out into the wild doesn’t tend to end well. So there I was, ramming through the Oxford street traffic, thoroughly annoyed to be awake, and downright disgruntled to be stuck in line behind 8 other cars. A scathing six minutes later, I reached my final destination expecting the worst. Just then, as the window opened, it happened.

The employee at the window took one look at my cup, scowled disapprovingly, and quickly demanded that the coffee-pouring culprit replace the lid and wipe up the mess. She saved me. She could have looked the other way (as the busy employees often do), she could have just shoved an extra napkin my way, but she didn’t. Sure, it held up the line for an extra 30 seconds, but 2 hours later I’m still grateful.

So, to that stand-up citizen: THANK YOU!!! Your random act of kindness has not gone unnoticed. You’ve made my day and restored my faith in drive-thrus.

Well, until my next visit anyway…