Nancy Paiva/Torontoist

It’s PRIDE TIME! Toronto Pride Week celebrates it’s 30^th year in fine form with bells, whistles, leather, sequins, feathers, chains, and whatever else you can find to adorn yourself with.   The costumes that come out for Pride, sometimes all year in the making, are always noteworthy.  Clothing is often optional for pride celebrations, but this time it might actually be necessary to be nearly naked as temperatures have been reaching nearly 40 C (that’s 104 F for the Americans).

I started the weekend having tapas at Julie’s Bistro and then to Queer Lies – Trashed Alterna-Pride Dance Party at the Gladstone Hotel where Gentleman Reg and James Bunton debuted their new electronic act, Light Fires.  DJs Denise Benson, and Winnie mixed it up with Sigourny Beaver and Joe Blow to bring the dancing frenzy to a maximum.

One major Pride event that brought out a huge mixed crowd was 80’s pop queen, Cyndi Lauper performing a free show at Queens Park.   We got there about an hour before she was supposed to go on and were met with a line up of easily 1000 people circling the entire area.  WTF, isn’t this supposed to be a free show?!  Why they put up fences around the stage is beyond me – there were more people outside the fenced area then inside.  And to top it off Cyndi played songs off her new album, bluegrass-y stuff, when everyone really just wanted to hear ‘True Colours’ – disappointing.

I didn’t make it to the parade, but apparently over 1 million people did!  Each year I am amazed at how much it grows.   I hope that this genuinely reflects the tolerance and acceptance of sexual diversity and not the consumption of spectacle and gay sensibilities.  The fabulousness is attractive and fun but it’s important to remember that there is a lot of history behind this celebration of solidarity.

Over the past 24 hours 4 of my friends have posted the ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like‘ Old Spice commercial to their Facebook profile and it has become a huge trending topic on Twitter since this campaign was launched.  Welcome to the fast paced world of social media advertising.

This video has received over 13 million views and climbing.  Not just that, but the foolishly macho Old Spice man, actor Isaiah Mustafa, is responding personally to tweets, via YouTube video clips. What brilliant marketing – creating episodic content in real time!  Normally, my feminist mind is critical of gender stereotyping but Mustafa’s preposterous manner is just so over-the-top and ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh – ‘Smell Like a Man, Man’.

This style of ironic hyper-masculinity reminds me of the Dos XX ads that were circulating last year but Old Spice took it further by having the character interact with his audience.  According to Read Write Web, Iain Tait, the mastermind behind this campaign, brought in technical and social media specialists to work hand in hand with the creative team.  They worked round the clock analyzing tweets, shooting and editing on-the-spot, and getting it back onto the web in real-time.

Perhaps Old Spice has paved the way for a new kind of interactive, social media marketing.  At the very least – ‘Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady.  I’m on a horse”.

On a hot summer day I found myself driving north out of the city to relax, lake-side, with friends for the day.  When the sun was descending someone said, “Let’s go to the drive-in!” Flashbacks of cottages, red licorice and being up past my bedtime came flooding back.  I hadn’t been to the drive-in since I was about 6.

The decision between Tom Cruise and Twilight was a simple one: Eclipse all the way.  Speeding down country roads we made it just in time to grab hot dogs, M&Ms and popcorn and settle into the back of the car with the hatch up.  The nostalgic appeal of the drive-in worked it’s charm on me – the warm summer night, lawn chairs and blankets, the hum of the audio, even the mosquitoes made me feel like I was living in a simpler time – a welcome break from the digital, hi-fi, air-conditioned, cramped theaters downtown.

I am not a Twilight fan.  I hadn’t seen the first two, nor read the books so after a quick who’s who from my friend I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.  It’s doubtful that I would have paid to see this in the city but it seemed so right in this setting.  Perhaps I was channeling my teeny-bopper self but I enjoyed the movie, I might even see the other two.  A Twilight Saga special at the drive-in? Now there’s an idea.

Photographer: Jessica Milan

‘Support something new’, urges Plaid Magazine’s website. But you won’t have to try very hard to support this Toronto based online magazine because Plaid is invested, heart-deep, in style culture. Featuring local and international talent in fashion, art, photography, music, design and more, Plaid has an eye for not only trends but timeless investment pieces as well.

What is ’style culture’ you ask? Well, Plaid understands that style is complex and one’s personal identity incorporates different elements. Bridging gaps and expanding horizons, the content approaches style from many angles. A recent article featuring Isis Salam, a Toronto based electro diva and style icon, is a perfect example of how life and style are intertwined. The creativity that flows through Plaid takes its cue from a multitude of sources and experiences.

One of the best things about Plaid is that they are very vintage friendly. I recall being told (by another publication) that I had to limit the number of vintage items in a photo editorial I styled because it doesn’t sell. This stigma against vintage irks me as it seems obvious that vintage is a gold mine of inspiration, individuality and supreme quality – don’t tell me that doesn’t sell – vintage is huge! Perhaps this reveals the close mindedness of certain publications rather than the marketability of vintage.

According to Plaid, “mixing aesthetics and price points give readers a real and reliable resource for approaching fashion; a bit of vintage here, a bit of name brand there, classic pieces and contemporary trends are a jump-off point for each fashion story. Where it goes from there is up to you.” It’s official, I love Plaid Magazine! Look out for a special print edition coming soon.

NXNE just completed it’s 16^th successful year hosting 650 bands, over 7 days in 50 different venues across Toronto. Too many numbers? – that’s ok, basically NXNE kicks ass!

This seasons big headliner is Iggy Pop & The Stooges. They performed a free show (yes FREE!) at Dundas Square for their only Canadian tour date this summer. Unfortunately, schedule conflicts prevented me from attending but I heard that Iggy was sweaty, ripped and freekin’ amazing as usual. I wish I also could have seen the crazy crowd that Iggy brought out – from 60 year old women who knew every word, to squeegee punks and hipsters all getting frenzied.

I was able to catch hip hop veterans De La Soul the following night for a much more chill but solid performance. De La kept the energy up playing sides of the crowd off one another and dropping classic tracks like ‘A Rollerskating Jam Called Saturdays’. Mostly a positive vibe in the crowd (I think the only aggressive douche bag happened to be beside us but we diffused the situation), I haven’t seen so many hands in the air at a hip hop show in a while.

NXNE pulled off a very ambitious schedule but next year I am definitely getting a wristband to avoid the disappointment of not getting into shows I wanted to see (Les Savy Fav…sniff, sniff). Nonetheless, free shows, 4 am last call and amazing music everywhere is the perfect way to start off the summer.

About six years ago everyone and their mom was sporting jean jackets, so much so that the general consensus for the rest of us was to hide them away in the back of the closet – or at least that’s what I did. Well good news: time to find that jacket, dust it off and rock it with pride.  Denim of all kinds is very on trend this Spring/Summer and it doesn’t get more classic then a well worn jean jacket.

I think it’s safe to say that after years of being in hiatus, the jean jacket is back. I’d never really considered this garment to be a trend, but instead a staple that comes and goes. However, I threw mine on this morning and met up with a couple of friends who also showed up wearing jean jackets in various shades of blue. I felt a bit sheepish rolling with my jean jacket posse, but then I noticed that, despite sporting the same article of clothing, each of us looked unique. Maybe that’s the beauty of this casual, classic piece – it lends itself to so many adaptations and styles.

It’s nice that Spring’s focus on denim has offered up new cuts and washes beyond the standard. If you are afraid of looking like a Gap ad, try searching for some vintage denim, acid wash or even cutting the sleeves off for an edgier look.  Hopefully with more diversity we won’t overdo it and never want to see another jean jacket again.

Toronto is beginning to feel like it’s under martial law as hundreds of police officers file into the city, helicopters fly overhead and secure barriers go up in the downtown core. The G20 Summit is transforming the city and the general consensus is that Torontonians aren’t happy about it.

Packs of police at least 12 deep are on the streets and the central police station looks like a fortress. The G20 is next weekend so it seemed a little premature to be beefing up security so soon but as one officer explained to us they had been flown in from Vancouver and were getting acquainted with the streets before the summit. I must say, it’s creepy.

And what is Toronto getting out of this anyway? Spending a billion dollar federal budget not only on security but on building ridiculous things like an indoor lake intended to simulate the natural landscape of Northern Ontario seems obscene when businesses are being forced to shut down for the weekend, losing tons of revenue. The enclosed area affects the Art Gallery of Ontario, The CN Tower and Rogers Centre, Air Canada Centre, the Princess of Wales Theatre and thousands of retail and services in the area.

Not to mention the local residents, who have to get security passes to go in and out of their homes and all city dwellers being highly inconvenienced by road closures, transit detours and congestion. People have had to reschedule weddings, concerts, and countless other events. The advisory is that those who can should get the f- outta Dodge but for those who aren’t that fortunate what can we expect – hiding out at home with a bottle of vodka and some canned goods? Maybe it’s all a bit alarmist – this whole summit thing. Maybe it really will bring the international political focus on Toronto/Canada and attract business and investment…?

The positive media spin is that this will showcase the city – reeeaaallly? Will these important world leaders go back to their respective countries and have fond memories of Toronto? Memories of man-made lakes, unobstructed motorcades, security barriers, openhanded funding and the biggest city core shut down since the 2003 blackout – what a showcase.

I’ve often thought myself fortunate to grow up in a city that is as multi-cultural as Toronto. Having done a fair bit of traveling, I always enjoy coming back to the variety of ethnicity and culture that makes this city special. Nothing makes this more obvious than the FIFA World Cup.

If you thought Canadians don’t care for soccer, or rather football, let me correct you. Toronto has caught the World Cup fever. Every year there seems to be more enthusiasm for soccer since Toronto got it’s own professional team in 2007. Bars are opening up at 10 am for the early games, businessmen are cramming around screens on their lunch breaks, flags are flying from cars and hung off balconies. I even saw a dog dyed yellow and green.

One could play count the flags and probably find that each and every country is represented here in Toronto which makes for great energy in the city. Toronto’s streets are alive with pride and sportsmanship. A friend from the UK commented that he thinks the World Cup here is better than London as there are so many people from different football-playing nations all getting excited and hanging out talking about the games. Perhaps the diversity is more successful in Toronto – there is some trash talking but so far celebrations have been pleasant and the losers have been gracious. Of course, it is just the beginning – I have a feeling that the Brazil vs. Portugal game is going to be wild!

Pleasure Dome, one of the city’s oldest film and video exhibition collectives, is holding their annual New Toronto Works show this month.  The evening is taking place at The Tranzac Club and will feature short experimental films and videos  from local artists including Geoff Pugen’s Zenith and Horizon Lines by Morley Shayuk. There will also be art installations to explore including Comic Bodies 1 a single channel video by Zeesy Powers.

AWOL Gallery was one of the first independently-owned galleries to appear on the Ossington/Queen West art scene and they are celebrating their endurance with a show by one of their founders, Nurit Basin, in April.  The show, An Installation of Dreamy Pin-Up Drawings from 1985, is influenced by Basin’s teenage years and will see her re-build her bedroom from her childhood in the gallery.  Basin’s blog captures the spirit of the project and the decade.

The Waste Land

Hot Docs, Toronto’s international documentary film festival  is gearing up for the 2010 festival with a slate of films from around the world.  As North America’s largest doc festival, Hot Docs is the best opportunity to see great films and is an event not to be missed.

I am luck to already have tickets to the sold-out opening night screening of Babies, which follows the first year of  life of four  babies from different corners of the globe. The World Showcase Program  includes many international treats and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Estonian film,  Disco and the Atomic War, as well as The Waste Land from Brazil.

Disco and the Atomic War

There are also many music and pop culture docs to check out too.  RUSH: Beyond The Lighted Stage, features Canada’s well-known rock band, and will undoubtedly be an audience favourite, as will the critically acclaimed,  Joan Rivers – A Piece Of Work.