EXHIBITION | Toronto ComicCon
Comic book fans, sci-fi aficionados and other nerds will be streaming out of their parents' basements this weekend and converging on the Direct Energy Centre for the year's premiere comic book convention. ComicCon 2010 features a full three days of events to get sci-fi lovers salivating like a Wookie in heat, including costume contests, sneak peaks at upcoming films, a charity auction of comic book gear, and of course an endless list of celebrity appearances. Just a few of the completely random stars making an appearance: the guy who played Winston in Ghostbusters, Luke from the Bushwhackers, Gil Gerard of Buck Rogers in the 21st Century, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, and, for some reason, Adrianne Curry of America's Next Top Model. What, was Wil Wheaton busy? Runs til Sunday.
Direct Energy Centre, 100 Princes' Blvd., Weekend pass $50, Single Day pass $25, Friday 12 pm - 8 pm, Saturday 10 am - 7 pm, Sunday 10 am - 5 pm

FILM | CinĂŠfranco
Toronto's annual celebration of Francophone cinema takes up residence in the heart of the city for the next ten days, displacing the usual blockbuster fare at the Yonge Dundas AMC with over 40 of the best French-language films of the past few years. In Canada in particular, French-speaking filmmakers have been at the forefront of creativity recently, highlighted by Cinefranco's two Quebecois programs which accompany films from French-speaking countries all over the world. This year, several of the films are appearing at the festival at roughly the same time as they are being released in their countries of origin, making this year's Cinefranco the most relevant to date. Highlights include Seven Days fresh from the Sundance Festival, 2009 Quebec comedy A Cargo to Africa, and a short film program on Wednesday night. And don't worry if you're French is a little rusty, all the films are subtitled in English.
AMC Yonge and Dundas, 10 Dundas St. East and the Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles, Single ticket $10, students $8.50

THEATRE | A Boy Called Newfoundland
Dora Award-nominated contemporary theatre company Theatre Smash premieres a new play by Graeme Gillis tonight. A Boy Called Newfoundland tells the story of an awkward 15-year old cadet saddled with the unfortunate name Newfoundland "Flounder" Willow who's forced to pick up the pieces of his family when his mother returns home from her second honeymoon without her husband. Founded in 2006, Theatre Smash is still finding its feet in Toronto's theatre scene but is executing its mandate of producing contemporary, globally-inspired works to some effect, and has garnered positive attention from local reviewers for its last few productions including last year's Tijuana Cure and Norway. Today. Runs til April 11.
Tarragon Extra Space, 30 Bridgman Avenue, $15 - $30, Tuesday - Saturday 8 pm, Sunday 2:30 pm

FILM | Banff Mountain Film Festival
The Banff Mountain Film Festival brings the soaring beauty of the world's mountain landscapes to the big screen this weekend with three days of alpine-themed flicks. Presented in partnership with National Geographic and the Banff centre, the fest's films range from adventure climbing movies to documentaries on the cultures of some of the world's highest communities. Hunlen tells the story of a group of climbers who set out to scale one of the biggest frozen waterfalls in Canada, only to find it's not completely frozen, while Shining Spirit follows an exiled Tibetan man trying to reconnect with his family back home. Runs til Sunday.
Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor St. West, $20 nightly, 7:30 pm Friday - Sunday

SALE | Midnight Mayhem at Come As You Are
Despite the chilly weather out there today it's officially Springtime, which means soon the birds will be singing, the bees will be buzzing, and the rest of us will be horny. To help you enhance your season of twitterpation, Toronto's only co-operative sex shop hosts its annual Midnight Mayhem sale tonight with blowout prices on its considerable inventory toys, dvds, and books. Take advantage of hourly giveaways, peruse the toonie toy bin, or just get down to sounds of DJ Winnie. Hanging out at a sex shops at midnight: not just for perverts anymore!
Come As You Are, 701 Queen St. West, 9 pm - 12 am

LECTURE | Magic Wand Ownership Lecture
Thirteen years after Muggles all over the world were introduced to a young wizard named Harry Potter, JK Rowling's fantasy phenomenon continues to gain momentum. The books and the films they spawned are as popular as ever, and later this year Harry and friends will be immortalized in a brand new, life-sized replication of the Hogwarts school at a theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando. Harry's magic touch has even affected the world of academia at U of T, where some physics phreaks are staging a series of lectures on the real science of wizardry, complete with live demonstrations imitating some of the simpler spells.
McLennan Physical Labs, 255 Huron St., Free, 7 pm

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Photo: "Invasion!" by ronnie.yip, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.