Last night I was at Gallery 1313 as one of six guest panellists in The Role of the Art Critic, the first roundtable discussion (well, rectangular-table discussion) as part of Gallery 1313's ArtSPEAK series, along with Toronto art writers and critics David Balzer, Peter Goddard, Claudia McKoy, the Editor-In-Chief of MIX, Stephanie Rogerson, Timothy Comeau, and last but not least, our moderator Nick Brown.

Gallery 1313's Director, Phil Anderson, did a fabulous job in organizing the event, which packed in a full-house despite the inclement weather of yesterday's "perpetual snow", and everyone involved was simply mahvelous to meet (though some were simply more mahvelous than others -- saucy Timothy Comeau for instance or Stephanie Rogerson, with whom I share a fondness for Claude Cahun -- but I may be biased as they were both on my end of the table).

Okay, I can almost forgive the OSCARS tonight for determining that the screenplay for Infernal Affairs was Japanese not Cantonese when announcing The Departed as best adapted screenplay, or placing the country of origin of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in Taiwan not China (or... er, the amalgamation of countries involved with that production). I mean, for self-proclaiming this year's schmooze-fest as being the most International ever, you'd think they'd at least google or check the films' facts on the IMDB first. Small quibbles, I'll admit.

However, I will never get over the fact that Deepa Mehta's Water, one of the best movies I've seen in the last so many years, was overlooked not by Pan's Labyrinth as I suspect everyone expected to win in the Best Foreign Language Film category but by Germany's Das Leben der Anderen, which seemed to be a pick way out of left field. But perhaps I just say that because my adoration for Deepa Mehta blinds me to any other contender.

Go Deepa, go Deepa....

(I change my mind: the Infernal Affairs blunder was unforgivable.)

True Story: I was near the end of my presentation on Turf War regarding the blurring line between street art versus outdoor advertising. I had just stated: "No one but graffiti artists, with their cavalier/cowboy attitudes towards their own health and safety, has ever been hurt by graffiti ; however, distracting billboards along highways are proven safety concerns...." when everyone burst out laughing. Unbeknownst to me, a sign had fallen and killed someone that very morning.

As the title suggests the Amazing Canadian Magazine focuses on Canadian artists and designers, and gives aspiring professionals a well-deserved platform. Debuting in December, the first issue sold out in Chapters and Indigo within its first week of distribution.

Tonight, Amazing Canadian will further promote homegrown talent at its official launch party. The event includes not one but three fashion shows featuring designs from Salem Moussallam of Hibebe, Kavi Kavi and Mildred Avendano plus four Canadian rock bands performing and showcasing their talents: Dame, ROA, The Big Man Himself and Sunny Avenue. Tickets are $20 or $15 for students @ the Ontario College of Art and Design, 100 McCaul from 6-11 pm.

Last week I was sitting in class when my professor mentioned that the faculty had been advised that we, the students, would be walking out in protest over tuition fees.

Come again?

The Reduce Tuition Fees events are organized by the Canadian Federation of Students.

It was news to many of us; and at her insistence that we protest over skyrocketing, we decided, wisely I might add, to cancel the class. I know what you are thinking: Wii here I come...

OR perhaps you are thinking of:

12 p.m. Meeting at Kings College Circle, U. of T to March to Queen's Park

1:00 p.m. Rallying at Queens Park.

Lynn Richardson's Inter-Glacial Free Trade Agency.ca

True Story: Every time the Antarctic melts a millimetre my Dad emails me the news article regarding it. I swear each time he sends me a link about global warming an iceberg somewhere melts. Coincidence or vicious circle?

Thank goodness Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, if anything, proved to news media organizations everywhere that there is a market for Global Warming news, or we might never have figured out that the weather is acting all funny ... and stuff.

So while musing over the myriad of statistics scientists and newscasters have recently begun to deluge us with, I wandered into YYZ and got a glimpse of artist Lynn Richardson's recent installation, Inter-Glacial Free Trade Agency.ca. While being hypnotized by the rhythmetic squeals of the oil-rig motifs symbolically raping the earth and being allured by the pretty use of lights and colours, I silently contemplated our impending fate. Seriously....