Photo: "Korean Fried Dumpling" by Pete A. McLeod, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

FASHION | R4 Fashion
Style and eco-consciousness come together in this event put on by the University of Waterloo's Sustainable Technology Education Project. Some of Canada's top fashion designers including Carrie Hayes, Sonja den Elzen and Rachel Jasmine Chan will present designs that are as sustainable as they are sexy. The event brings together students, young professionals, industry leaders and fashionistas with the goal of finding eco-friendly technologies for the fashion industry.
Atlantis Pavillion, 955 Lakeshore Blvd. W., $25 - $70, 8 pm

GALLERY | 52 McCaul Grand Opening "$20"
A new gallery opens tonight in the art-rich neighbourhood centred around the AGO. 52 McCaul aims to be a different kind of artspace; a cultural hub that will connect local artists with the community and will feature work from both experienced and emerging artists (and everyone in between). At their grand opening tonight you'll have a chance to buy a wide variety of works each for the very reasonable price of $20, with all proceeds going to fund the gallery. The new gallery is a joint initiative by grassroots art organization Well and Good and curators Teresa Aversi and Charlie Irani.
52 McCaul St., Free admission, 7 pm - 12 am

EXHIBITION | The Everything To Do With Sex Show
This weekend the ETDWSS will be stimulating the body and soul (but mostly the body) at Exhibition Place with all the best of everything related to getting it on. A fashion show and carnival parade, body spray art demonstrations, seminars on how to find the perfect sex toy, and even a full scale dungeon are but some of the highlights that have made this one of the biggest shows of its kind in the world. Sure to be a very naughty weekend. Runs til Sunday.
Direct Energy Centre, 100 Princes Blvd., $20-$25 single day, $27.50-$35 weekend pass, Friday 3 pm - 12 am, Saturday 11 am - 12 am, Sunday 11 am - 6 pm

Photo: "Blue" by turnip[turnip], member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

BOOKS AND LIT | An Evening with Stephen King
Stephen King has a dubious reputation for being able to churn out books like so many lead-filled Christmas toys coming off a Chinese conveyer belt. The 62-year old author has written over 50 bestselling books, which is more than one for every year he's been writing. But thankfully for every Roadwork he's also given us a Stand By Me or The Shining. By sheer volume alone few authors have shaped the literary world of the late 20th century more than King, and he comes to Toronto tonight for an event that also features an interview with director David Cronenberg by George Stromboulopoulos.
Canon Theatre, 244 Victoria St., $28 - $33, 8 pm

FOOD | 2009 Gourmet Food and Wine Expo
Starting today, Toronto's top restaurants will turn the Metro Convention Centre into a giant cocktail party. Creations from the city's best chefs will be on offer along with samples of incredible wines. Members of the Independent Wine Education Guild will be giving tips on how to buy and taste wine, and the Tutored Tastings Program gives visitors access to rare vintages. Meanwhile, on the Food Network Stage celebrity chefs will be discussing and preparing some of their top recipes. Tonight's the VIP Preview Evening, for which they've reserved the real cream of the crème brûlée.
Metro Convention Centre, South Building, 255 Front St., $35, Thursday 6 - 10 pm, Friday 2 pm - 10 pm, Saturday 12 pm - 10 pm, Sunday 12 pm - 6 pm

FILM | Eh!U European Film Festival
This not-so-cleverly titled film festival brings the best of European cinema to the land of the hoser for the next two weeks. Now in its fifth year, the festival will have screenings of 26 movies from 23 European countries and every single show is free. Highlights include Austria's The White Ribbon, winner of the Palm D'Or at Cannes this year, and France's A Prophet, which won the Cannes Grand Prix. It all kicks off tonight with a single screening at the Bloor of The Karamazovs, a Czech picture about a troupe of actors recreating Dostoyevsky's famous novel. Runs til December 3.
Tonight: The Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W., Free, 6 pm
Til Dec 3rd: Various locations and times

Photo: Filmore Hotel by Hodg, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

BOOKS AND LIT | A Woman Among Warlords - Malalai Joya Book Tour
While you spent the first half of your twenties on Queen West hanging out in lesbian bars and eating poutine, Malalai Joya was teaching girls at secret schools in Afghanistan and getting elected to the war-torn country's parliament. She's survived four assassination attempts but continues her quest to rid her homeland of warlords and drug barons, and is a living testament to the fact that the Afghan people have more power to shape their future than any occupying army. She comes to Toronto tonight to speak about her book, her life, and her country.
Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W., $5-$10, 7 pm

MUSIC | Peaches at the Phoenix
Shock-rocker Peaches' facial hair seems to have migrated from her chin to form a fashionable 'do on top of her head. The follicular event coincides with the release of her new album I Feel Cream, which she is currently promoting on a North America-wide tour. Peaches' abilities to offend and impress are well-documented and will no doubt be on full display tonight.
Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St., $24.50, 8 pm

ART SALE | OCAD Whodunit? 2009
You know how sometimes you go to an art gallery and see a million-dollar painting of a red stripe on the wall and say to yourself "If I had painted that, it wouldn't be worth shit"? Well the annual Whodunit? art sale at OCAD takes reputation out of the equation by selling art without revealing who made it. The concept is that OCAD auctions off works by both famous established artists and aspiring neophytes and only after you buy a piece do you find out who made it. Even if you go home with an abstract piece by Johnny Nobody you can take some consolation from the fact that all proceeds go to support OCAD. Runs til Saturday.
OCAD, 100 McCaul St., 12 pm start

Photo: Untitled by Carl W. Heindl, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for TUESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

MUSIC | Nu Music Night's 16th Anniversary at the Horseshoe
The 'Shoe celebrates 16 years of Dave Bookman's Nu Music Night with some bands that are not really so "nu." No one's complaining though, because Most Serene Republic, Zeus, and Still Life Still are some of the hottest acts going just now. Bookman's turned the free weekly Tuesday night concert series into a reliable place to go see band's just before they hit the big time and a big bash in its honour is certainly well-deserved.
The Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. W., Free, 10 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Adria Vasil in Conversation with Rick Smith
Ecoholic author and NOW columnist Adria Vasil has followed up her widely popular first book with Ecoholic Home, a green guide to making your living space environmentally-friendly. Vasil gives tips on everything from green cleaning products to eco-friendly cooking methods, clean heating, and even moving. Her advice isn't just for homeowners either; its helpful for us renters too. She'll be in conversation with noted environmentalist Rick Smith tonight at the Gladstone as part of This Is Not a Reading Series.
Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., $5 (free with book purchase), 7 pm

COMEDY | The Boom Just For Laughs Showcase
The Boom is a Toronto-based sketch comedy troupe featuring a who's who of young up and coming talent including Nikki Payne, Dan Galea and Tim Dorsch. The troupe has been endorsed by all kinds of famous funnymen, including SNL's Seth Meyers, Lewis Black and Kevin Smith. The Boom is auditioning for Just For Laughs tonight along with a dozen or so of the city's comedy teams including the Lusty Mannequins and She Said What. This really is the cream of the crop so catch them tonight and then look forward to watching reruns of their JFL set on the Comedy Network for the next 10 years.
Rivoli, PWYC, 334 Queen St. W., 9 pm

Photo: "Sale" by Karon Liu, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for MONDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

REVUE | The Rockettes Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Nothing says Christmas like leggy women in satin high-kicking their way across a stage. The Rockettes' world famous holiday show has been delighting little boys and girls (but especially little boys) since it debuted in 1925 and its annual touring show is now one of the most-seen performances in North America every year. For the next three nights they will be entertaining audiences at the Air Canada Centre with their new amped up, fit-for-arena revue. One performance tonight and two each day on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., $35.50 - $84.50, 4 pm and 7:30 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | 100 Photographs That Changed Canada
CBC host Don Newman interviews Mark Reid tonight about his new book on the images that have helped shaped the nation. Reid is editor of the Beaver, nationalist-themed porn mag Canada's History Magazine, and has compiled 100 journalistic and archival photographs that tell the country's story. Each photo is accompanied by a short essay by notable Canadians including Christie Blatchford, Dick Pound, Brian Tobin, and Newman himself.
Indigo Bookstore, 55 Bloor St. W., Free, 7:30 pm

LECTURE | Trampoline Hall
Toronto's favourite amateur lecture series is back tonight for its second show at its new digs at the Garrison. The topics this time are somewhat vague and include "Transitioning" and "the Mean Problem." I like the sound of Christine Pountney's "Lot's Wife and the Art of Looking Back" though. Very poetic indeed. I would expect nothing less from a creative writing professor at U of T, although I'm concerned her academic career means she's not really an amateur. Hopefully she's stuck to the rules though and is at least clueless about her particular topic.
The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. W., $6, Rush tickets available for $5 at 6:30 pm, 7:30 pm

Photo: "Royal Alexandra Theatre" by bensonkua, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14 and SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

Saturday, November 14:

PARTY | Skratch Bastid Presents: Scratch, Skratch, Scratch!
Haligonian Skratch Bastid began his DJ career entering local competitions at the age of 15. He's now grown too big for his East Coast britches and has a new home in Toronto, where he looks to revive the art of old-school turntable deejaying. To that end, he launches a new quarterly party tonight with legendary beatboxer Scratch (of Roots fame) and Flow 93.5 DJ, Starting from Scratch. This is going to be one huge jam.
Revival, 783 College St., $10-$12, 10 pm

MUSIC | Dirty Projectors with Tune-Yards at the Opera House
Toronto (hearts) the Dirty Projectors. The Brooklyn band's appearance at Lee's Palace earlier this year had the whole city twitterpated with anticipation. The lovefest only increased when the band's tour van flipped en route to the show, thankfully leaving everyone unharmed. There's nothing like a little adversity to make a love affair stronger. They'll be sharing the stage with Tune-Yards, who up to this point has been trying to make a career selling her songs on cassette because she abhors the convenience of CDs and iTunes. Weird.
Opera House, 735 Queen St. E., $16, 9 pm

FESTVIAL | NuJazz Festival with Jazzanova, DJ John Kong and Rollin'Cash
The NuJazz Festival wraps up tonight with a set by Jazzanova, considered by those in the know to be one of the most important electro jazz ensembles of our time -- which means of any time really, when you think about it. The Berlin sextet has had a strong influence on all kinds of genres from the mainstream to the obscure, having worked with Lenny Kravitz and Common among others. They'll be joined at the gala event by Toronto's DJ John Kong and Rollin' Cash, as well as Montreal's former Bullforg band leader Robertson.
El Mocambo, 464 Spadina Ave., $15 advance, $20 door, 9:30 pm