Looking for something exciting to do on a Monday night? Well, get yourself to the Boat at 8pm for an awesome night of spoken word featuring Toronto's own Last Call Poets and a very special guest: Shane Koyczan.

You may have heard his name before &mdash most people interested in spoken word around the world have. Shane was the first Canadian to win the Individual World Poetry Slam and has performed with the likes of Ani DiFranco, the Violent Femmes, Saul Williams and many more.

The following video has Shane performing "This is My Voice," a poem particularly relevant in light of the upcoming election:



Special guest Shane Koyczan aside, tonight's performance by the Last Call Poets is one to look forward to. I spoke to That Brown Bastard, a member of the group, to tell us a bit more about spoken word in the city and what to expect tonight.

Photo: Kate Beckinsale on the red carpet by Ryan Coleman.

It's over. Almost.

Today is the last day of the Toronto International Film Festival, and honestly, I spent my night partying the festival away last night, so that's why this update is a little late. Apologies.

It has been a good festival for partying, I'll admit that. Whether it was a good festival for everything else has yet to be decided.

Eye Weekly's blog has an article asking if this year's TIFF was the "worst film festival ever" and Tim was interviewed by CTV asking if the festival has become too elitist. The verdict by most: a resounding yes.

Towards the end of the Toronto International Film Festival, festival-goers have a tendency to get tired, hungry, depressing, and extremely cranky. Something to do with staring at a screen for 16 hours a day for ten days straight, I guess.

That's why I can understand — not excuse, mind you, just understand — Lou Lumenick's mindset when he allegedly thwacked Roger Ebert with a binder. When your nerves are on edge and someone starts poking you, it's hard to keep your composure. (Of course, after this incident, I've lost whatever little respect I ever had for Lumenick. Tired as you are, you have to keep your cool.)

Today is the second-to-last day of the festival, so things are winding down slowly. For those of you that still have some energy and want to watch more movies, I've heard that you might still be able to get a seat for Soderbergh's 4.5-hour epic, Che. For those of you that are a bit tired of festivaling, get some rest and eat some homemade food — you need to be fresh for the last bit of TIFF fun tonight and tomorrow.

One of my favorite short films playing at this year's Toronto International Film Festival is Pudge, a film that lets Toronto take centre stage. Director Annie Bradley took some time to talk to me about the film, about shooting in Toronto, and about playing at home at TIFF08.



(Apologies for the background noise. It gets a bit difficult finding quiet spaces at the Sutton Place Hotel during festival time.)

It's the eighth day of the Toronto International Film Festival, and I have yet to mention the biggest stars at the festival in my TIFF Today posts. So I'm going to make up for it by talking about those stars today.

I am referring to, of course, the TIFF volunteers.

You've seen them out and about with their green shirts, showing you where to go, checking your tickets, and in general making the festival a much more pleasant experience for everyone. And it's not just your movie nerds that are donning the green shirts. Mary, a volunteer that has been helping out at TIFF for eight years now, told me that she's been having more fun this year than any other because of the diversity of both the audiences and the volunteers.

Jason, a first-time volunteer, was in awe of the sheer amount of work and organization that goes into making the festival happen: "I've always heard of TIFF, but I never realized just how big it really was until I decided to volunteer." His volunteer experiences as a theater usher have been nothing but positive: "I'm so glad I had the chance to volunteer. I've met people that I never would have met before, and everyone is really grateful of the work we're doing. And it's a lot of fun."

Fun aside, volunteers are the lifeblood of the festival. To Mary, Jason, and everyone else volunteering at the festival, thank you from all of us at blogTO.

There was a point during the screening of Lymelife at the Toronto International Film Festival last night when I looked at Derick Martini (the film's director who happened to be sitting next to me) and saw a look in his eyes that seemed to say, "I made that, and people like it." That look has been one of the highlights of this year's festival for me.

We tend to forget too often — as press or as the movie-watching public — that for many filmmakers, showing at TIFF is not just something they have to do in order to get a distribution deal. For many filmmakers, the festival gives them an opportunity to see and understand the impact that their films have on people from around the world.

Okay, that's enough sentimentality from me for today. (And if you haven't seen Lymelife yet, check out one of its final two screenings. It's a gem.)