I've been writing the 'Toronto Portraits' for blogTO for just under two years now. It's a series in which I profile up-and-coming artists (ballerinas, painters, singers, playwrights...) and ask them about their work and relationship to the city. But, with me set to spend some time away from the city and the column, I thought it'd be a good time to share some of the highlights of these interviews.

The former home of Mel's, the quirky Montreal style diner that closed earlier this year is finally getting a new tenant -- and it's a familiar name. The owners of Hey Lucy, the restaurant and cocktail bar near John St. on King West, will be opening their second location.

Of course the addition of a nine-yard long zebra-print couch (spotted through the window) to the neighbourhood brings up the question that many Annex residents have been asking recently: where did the bohemian vibe of the neighbourhood go? What is The Annex becoming?

The internet is dead. Long live the internet.

So many of us have very mixed feelings about web 2.0; blogs vs, newspapers, social networking sites vs. actual socializing. In the case of the new Friday dance night at Clinton's, it's all about a time before Napster, MP3's and iPods. It's about music from a bygone era.

Personally I don't deal with CD's anymore; truth is I never really liked them. Those cracked jewel cases, scratched disks, tiny album art...never really my thing. I buy records with MP3 codes attached now. You get a large, beautiful LP that sounds great, and you also get the album digitally so you can take it around with you on your phone or iPod. Hopefully it's this kind of creative compromise we're all working towards, a mix of old and new technology in our lives that utilizes the best attributes of both.

Mike Ross, 34 years old. Front St. East.

Artists in Toronto don't always want to take risks and create shows about our own country, or our own cities. It's easier to retell old American or European stories, again and again, that have already been successful somewhere else.

But Mike Ross is presenting an exciting new musical for Soulpepper this December. About Toronto.

The Bloor Cinema has been a cultural institution and an Annex icon for decades. Many, many decades. Built in 1905 as a vaudeville theatre called The Madison, it has seen days as a 1940's movie palace, a 1960's grindhouse, and a 1970's porn theatre (that incarnation was put out of business by the low prices of a neighbouring adult theatre, the Metro.) The Bloor, as it's known today, now stands as one of Canada's largest independent cinemas.

To celebrate the theatre's centennial in 2005, Peter Kuplowsky and I made a documentary about its storied past. The Bloor premiered to a full house on the building's 100th anniversary and includes interviews with current and former staff members as well as an up close look at architectural drawings, posters and photos of the building from the past and present.

The 17th annual Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival unfurls tonight with the film Clara at 7pm. It's being presented at the new home of Workman Arts, 651 Dufferin Street (the former Equity Showcase Theatre).

The festival is unique in that it doesn't focus on any one type of film (short, documentary, feature) or a cultural group (like 'The Jewish Film Festival', 'Reel Asian', etc); the only strand that ties the films together is that all the stories deal with mental health and addiction in one way or another. Following every film there is a lively panel discussion featuring filmmakers and mental health professionals, during which they discuss the issues and behaviour the film has portrayed and brought to the surface.

Another intriguing thing about the festival is that many of the screenings will be hosted inside the Centre For Addiction And Mental Health (CAMH) on Queen West instead of at a typical movie theatre.