Canzine returned at the Gladstone Hotel.

Brought to you by your friendly quarterly magazine Broken Pencil, Canzine is Canada's largest celebration of small press publishing and "alternative culture." Five bucks got me access to an all-day gigantic zine fair, interactive art installations, and a bunch of awesome activities, including a screen printing workshop... plus a free copy of BP's latest Olympics issue. Not bad for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

I maneuvered the Melody Bar of The Gladstone in a daze (not sure if that was due to my previous night's festivities or because it was so packed with people). Over 150 kooky and creative zines were on display, from small press zines and comics to arts and crafts.

Business for the Arts held their 31st award gala this past Thursday evening at the AGO. The awards are given out to corporations and individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts.

October's been a busy month for the visual arts throughout the city, headlined by the Leona Drive Project and the Toronto International Art Fair. And along with these major (although sadly short-lived) events, there's been plenty of stimulating shows at galleries across the city, many of which are still running, if only for a few more days.

Here's a roundup of the exciting events I've checked out over the last few weeks and some recommendations for upcoming shows.

I am a huge So You Think You Can Dance nerd, so I was all over attending the So You Think You Can Dance Canada finale again this season in Toronto. I love being tucked into the screening room, perched on the white leather couches and gorging myself on candy and chips in between clapping and cheering on my favourite competitors.

Looking for a Halloween party in Toronto this weekend? Saturday marks the return of my favourite annual holiday but the 31st isn't the only occasion to dress up and have some fun. As the list below attests, there are also plenty of Halloween parties to choose from on Devil's Night (Friday October 30th). Keep reading for my top picks as well as a long list of Halloween parties happening in Toronto in 2009.

Late Night in the Bedroom is now at episode 3. Have you seen it? A side project of a group of friends associated with Whippersnapper Gallery, the web-based video talk show is, just like ArtStars*, trying to create more awareness and dialogue about the Toronto arts scene. It's shot in front of a live audience, originally in an apartment next to the gallery. Cozy.



Episode 3 above was filmed during the recent Manifesto Festival and features a number of short interviews including participating artists Elicser and Roadsworth. Earlier this week I connected with the Producer of the show Josh Barndt to find out more about how things are going so far and what's in store going forward. Here's our Q&A.