LECTURE | The Ethos and Ethics of the New Yorker Cartoons
The cartoons of the New Yorker boldly go where the likes of Ziggy and Garfield would never dare to tread. For decades the simple ink drawings that grace the cover of America's most prestigious periodical have tackled the important issues of the day and have become a trademark of the magazine's witty commentary. Tonight the New Yorker's cartoon editor Robert Mankoff comes to the ROM to present a talk on the role cartoons have played in the life of the magazine and what separates them from the work of newspapers' editorial cartoonists. Mankoff will be joined after his presentation by the Globe and Mail's Margaret Wente, who between bashing Native Canadians and refuting climate change apparently enjoys a good cartoon as much as the rest of us. The evening is presented in conjunction with the museum's ongoing exhibition of works by Romanian political cartoonist Dan Perjovschi.
Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queens Park, $20

THEATRE | FemCab 2010
For the past 28 years Nightwood Theatre has gathered extraordinary female performers, writers, and activists together for FemCab, a cabaret show and speaking event that celebrates the power of women. Combining entertainment and inspiration, FemCab is an integral part of Nightwood's mission of forging creative alliances between women of diverse backgrounds to affect positive change. Few individuals embody the potential of women to make a difference than the event's keynote speaker Maude Barlow, who is the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award for her decades of service to citizen advocacy. Barlow tops the bill at 2010's edition of FemCab, which will also see performances by the leading ladies of Canada's art scene, including mezzo-soprano Jean Stilwell, choreographer Andrea Nann, comedian Sandra Battaglini, and filmmaker Andrea Dorfman.
Brigantine Ballroom, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, $30, 8 pm

FILM | Man With a Movie Camera
From the very beginning of filmmaking, Russian directors have always made some of the most original contributions to the movies. Long before Alexander Sokurov and even Sergei Eisenstein, there was Dziga Vertov, who began his career making propaganda newsreels for the Soviet regime. He quickly began experimenting with new techniques of capturing images through the camera lens, which he called his "second eye", and in 1929 produced Man With a Movie Camera, an incredible and surreal documentation of daily life in a Soviet city. The film screens tonight as part of the Toronto Silent Film Festival, and will be accompanied by an improvised score from Juno Award-winning saxophonist Richard Underhill and his boundary-pushing break-beat ensemble AstroGroove.
Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave, $15, 7:30 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Andrew Potter at This Is Not a Reading Series
According to author and scholar Andrew Potter, the digital age presents us with a paradox. While we immerse ourselves in the artificiality of fake Facebook friends and faker reality television shows, we also assert that what we really want in our lives is authenticity. That's the contradiction Potter explores in his new book the Authenticity Hoax: How We Get Lost Finding Ourselves, the much anticipated sequel to The Rebel Sell which he co-authored with Joseph Heath. Potter comes to the Gladstone tonight as part of This Is Not a Reading Series to discuss the book with Nora Young, the writer and broadcaster who hosts CBC Radio's weekly technology show Spark.
Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. West, $5, 7:30 pm

COMMUNITY | The Underwear Affair
If you're in the downtown core today you might want to stop by Yonge-Dundas Square, especially if you like looking at people in their underwear. That's where North York General Hospital is launching the The Underwear Affair, its annual fundraising campaign to fight cancers below the waist. Participants in will get into giant pairs of undies two at a time and race around the square to bring attention to underfunded diseases like colorectal, ovarian, and prostate cancers which will affect millions of Canadians. The event marks the beginning of a campaign that will culminate at the end of the summer with a 10k competitive run.
Yonge-Dundas Square, Free, 12 pm

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