Christmas Countdown: 12 Wreaths For Hanging

Posted by Joseph
Filed in City
December 13, 2008
20081212_wreathes1a.jpgLove it or hate it, the city is once again covered in holiday glitter and glamour. I've been searching all corners of Toronto for holiday exhibitionism, good or bad, and for each of the remaining 12 days until Christmas I'll be posting a different photo essay documenting the annual make-over. Today I feature wreaths.

Before I started collecting holiday photos about a week and a half ago, I had never paid much attention to the countless decorations adorning each block this time of year. I learned rather quickly that wreaths, by far and away, are the most common item for decoration (I'm not counting round tree ornaments or red bows, those are a little too generic). Wreathes are everywhere!

Snapshot of Robyn Cumming

Posted by Joseph
Filed in Arts
November 20, 2008
robyn cummingI've never reviewed a television program before, and it's rarely done on blogTO, but after seeing an advanced copy of tonight's episode of SNAPSHOT on Bravo! I thought I would spread the word. SNAPSHOT is a six-episode series exploring innovative photographers from Canada. Tonight's show documents Toronto photographer Robyn Cumming.

The shows explores her world not simply through interviews, but by taking the viewer behind the scenes of her work, showing how she interacts with her subject during a photo shoot, shops for props, prints in the darkroom, and mingles with guests at her exhibit. As a photographer, I was compelled. Her images are complex and entirely memorable, so to watch her work, see what and how she uses her equipment, and in general being a fly on the wall in her world was captivating.

Behind the Mic: Edoardo Monasterolo at CHIN

Posted by Joseph
Filed in City
November 19, 2008
Edoardo Monasterolo at CHIN RadioAs a Toronto unilingual, it's not surprising I've never listened to CHIN radio. In fact, other than the CHIN picnic and the name Johnny Lombardi, I didn't know anything about CHIN except that they had a building somewhere on College street in Little Italy. After a little research, a visit to the station and a quick interview with the Italian morning show host I couldn't help feel a great pride in the station and a greater pride in Toronto.

The 42-year old station now broadcasts in over 30 languages in Toronto on two different frequencies, 100.7 FM and 1540 AM. While the majority of weekday programming is in Italian, at different times you can hear entire programs in Cantonese, Croatian, Bengali, Punjabi, Somali, Macedonian and Spanish, just to name a few. When CHIN began in 1966, it was the first multicultural radio station in Ontario. Now there are at least two others, CMR 101.3 and CIRV 88.9.

I talked with radio host Edoardo Monasterolo about working at CHIN, Toronto's multiculturalism and his program Wake up Italian Style.

Behind the Mic: Roger Lajoie at The Fan

Posted by Joseph
Filed in City
November 13, 2008
Roger Lajoie at the FanI remember being surprised when Toronto got an all sports radio station in 1992. I was young, and at the time thought there was only one team in town, the Blue Jays. Over the years, I've listened to The Fan 590 more and more, not just for baseball games, but for updates, discussions, rumors and insight, and I've genuinely become a fan of all the Toronto sports in the process. As much as I can roll my eyes when callers phone in to talk about the Leafs in the middle of July, I would really miss not having The Fan 590 on the dial. After-all, I'm a sports fan.

For Toronto sports fans like myself, Roger Lajoie is best known as a talk show host on The Fan 590, but as one of the busiest guys in sports, he can be found just about everywhere - and in every medium - including television, newspapers and blogs. Roger hosts the OHL's St. Michael's Majors home games and is the play-by-play voice of the Oshawa Generals on Rogers Television during the winter. Throughout the summer, he's the public address announcer at Christie Pits for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League, something he has been doing for the past 25 years. As a North American correspondent for the Reuters News Agency, Roger has covered some of sport's most coveted events such as the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Finals, World Series, NBA Finals and the NCAA Final Four. Oh, and he just finished a book on Jimmy Devellano of the Detroit Red Wings called, The Road to Hockeytown. I caught up with the Ryerson journalism graduate to learn more about working on The Fan, sports in Toronto, and ask if he had any advice for aspiring sportscasters.

Behind the Mic: Matt Galloway at CBC Radio

Posted by Joseph
Filed in City
November 10, 2008
Matt Galloway CBCThere are people who listen to CBC Radio and there are 'people who don't. Growing up, I never listened; CBC wasn't on in my house when I woke up, or when I was picked up from school. My parents didn't listen, so I didn't listen. I have to admit, I didn't even know the station's frequency until just a few years ago. I do remember what caught my ear though. Flipping through the dial, I happened upon the distinctive chimes of the subway doors closing, mixed with a quick rhythm and a voice with an accent introducing a show called Here & Now. I've been listening ever since.

When I've caught wind of some news story, or heard something about some festival, or I am confused by a complicated new city proposition, Here & Now straightens it out. It goes directly to the sources, interviewing key players in the days events. Quarterbacking it all is host Matt Galloway whose knowledge and passion for Toronto is unrivaled. I caught up with him to talk about the show, the city and his varied media background.

Behind the Mic: Barry Taylor at 102.1 the Edge

Posted by Joseph
Filed in City
November 6, 2008
Barry Taylor, the EdgeI've been listening to 102.1 the Edge since I was a teenager and remain a relatively loyal follower, happy that the station continues to devote some of it's airtime to deserving Canadian talent. But music isn't the only determinant when listening to a station. Radio personalities make a major contribution to a broadcast, and for this reason, at certain times I entirely avoid listening to the Edge.

I feel the exactly the opposite when it comes to Barry Taylor. Monotone and laid-back, his delivery is pretty much the antithesis of the most annoying of DJs. At 30, the Hamilton native has already been on an on-air presenter at the Edge for five years. As the host of regular lister-interactive segments such as "The Barry Interesting Survey," "The 4:20 Thought," and Megaphone man, Barry entertains in the vein of Stephen Wright - with deadpanned coolness. His sometimes awkward, casually opinionated, always friendly delivery is a breath of fresh air. I caught up with Barry Taylor to talk about radio, music and his adventures behind the mic, both on radio and in stand-up comedy.