Neil Gaiman Canadian Tour Dates

Another favourite author of ours is coming to Toronto and we are beyond excited! Supporting the release of his latest book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman will be at the Danforth Music Hall on July 6 for a reading, Q&A and book signing. This tour is Gaiman's last signing tour ever, so catch him while you can.
 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is now available everywhere. We already have a copy, check back soon for our review of what we expect to be a magical book. Also stay tuned for a review of Gaiman's Toronto appearance.

The Toronto stop isn't his only Canadian date, below are the details for his Canadian tour:

August 6, 2013
Location: Toronto, ON
Tuesday, August 6, 6:30 PM
Presented by Indigo Books & Music

WHERE:
Danforth Music Hall
147 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON M4K 1N2

TICKETS: $20 plus tax and service fees
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August 7, 2013
An Evening with Neil Gaiman
Location: Montreal, QC
Wednesday, August 7, 7 PM
Presented by Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore

WHERE:
Ukrainian Federation Hall
5213 Hutchison Street
Montreal, QC H2X 2H3

TICKETS: Available in store – Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore, 211 Bernard Ouest - $10 with $5 off  The Ocean at the End of the Lane with ticket purchase.
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August 8, 2013
An Evening with Neil Gaiman
Location: Vancouver, BC
Thursday, August 8, 6:30 PM
Presented by Vancouver Writers Fest
Book sales by Kidsbooks

WHERE:
The Vogue Theatre
918 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L2

TICKETS: $21 adults $19 students (with ID) and seniors plus service charges. General admission
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Blog Tour - Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

CityGirlScapes teamed up with Simon & Schuster Canada for a Blog Tour in anticipation of the release of Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews on June 4. 

We recently reviewed the book itself, but we also had the opportunity to chat with author Jason Matthews about his debut novel, specifically the memorable cast of colourful characters scattered throughout. 


From a sadistic dwarf who personally carries out Putin's murderous schemes to a likeable if somewhat battle-weary CIA station chief, to MARBLE the ultimate Russian mole, to dauntless Dominika and of course to Nate himself, Red Sparrow delivers such a memorable cast of characters.

City Girls: How much of you do we see in Nathaniel Nash, are his actions and reactions mirrored from your own first-tour experiences or were you basing Nate’s instincts from your years of knowledge?

Jason Matthews: None of the characters are truly autobiographical, but the tradecraft, gadgets, experiences, attitudes, and work environment are all based on my real-life experiences over 33 years in CIA.  I’ve met Russians over the years, but no one like Dominika Egorova!

CG: Alexi Zyuganov is described as a ‘poisonous dwarf’. Physical limitations must be very conspicuous in such a prominent role in a secret world. What prompted you to take on this unique challenge?

JM: Like some of the other characters in Red Sparrow, Zyuganov is sort of a hybrid taken from real life history.  One of Stalin’s intelligence chiefs named Nikolai Yezhov was five feet tall and was responsible for murderous purges in the 1930s.  Of course in real espionage work, physical limitations would be a real challenge.

CG: When you look at mainstream spy thrillers, particularly something like the Bond franchise, the female “sparrow” seems to be a common component. Is the art of seduction still a viable operational tactic in this modern age or is it generally relied upon as a character in books and movies to balance the sexual aspect?

JM: Some intelligence services, infamously the KGB, regularly used trained Sparrows and sexual entrapment to recruit sources, provided they could be maneuvered into a “honey trap.”  The modern Russian spy service, the SVR, probably still do. Most western services don’t use sex as an operational technique because it is generally thought that a source recruited by coercion will be resentful and prone to fabrication and/or revenge. It makes for great movies though.

CG: With confidentiality being a prime consideration, how close did you come to featuring an actual person as one of your characters? Part of the allure is hoping that at least one of your characters is real.

JM: All the characters are totally fictional.  A few are drawn from historical figures (like Yezhov mentioned above.)  Any similarity to real persons is purely coincidental. 

CG: And last one, just for fun. These City Girls are known for their love of wine, if we were at a cocktail party with Nate, Dominika, MARBLE, Egorov and Forsyth, what would they be drinking?

JM: Fun question.  Nate and Gable probably would be drinking beer--Corona for Nate, something exotic--Singha--for Gable.  Dominika perhaps would reach for French champagne.  MARBLE would have a glass of Brunello.  Uncle Vanya would order Georgian brandy, and Forsyth would go for a dry Chardonnay.   Benford of course would drink something arcane like grappa. 

When it comes to the character of the double agent, it’s hard to believe that someone once so dedicated to their job and to their country could commit such a betrayal and cross to the other side.

It often seems to be the result of mistreatment or a desire for revenge, but as Jason explains in the video below, there are four human motivators that turn a spy into a double agent.

Red Sparrow is released on June 4. For more information visit RedSparrowBook.com. 

A big thanks to Jason Matthews and Simon and Schuster Canada for having us on this Blog Tour!

images from official website.

Designing 007 @ Tiff Bell Lightbox

"Bond, James Bond". "Shaken, not stirred". Over the years, the iconic Bond movie franchise has brought us a number of memorable quotes, characters, gadgets and style. Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and most recently Daniel Craig have all donned that finely pressed black tuxedo and oozed class and plain old badassness on screen and until January 20, the TIFF Bell Lightbox is premiering Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style.

The largest and most comprehensive exhibit devoted to bond, Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style features costumes, props, models, gadgets, concept artwork, storyboards, clips and various fascinating artifacts from the series.

It takes about 30 minutes to walk through the exhibit, but there are plenty of interesting facts and visuals that any diehard Bond fan wouldn’t want to miss.

And what would a night of Bond be without a martini? Luma, the restaurant on the second floor of the Tiff Bell Lightbox, offers a Bond-themed Prix Fix and has four different Bond inspired martinis for $7 (on Thursdays or with the purchase of a ticket to the exhibit on other days).

Bond Martinis:
CLASSIC - vodka or gin, shaken or stirred, olives or twist...your choice

VESPER - russian vodka, gin and lillet blanc, served with a twist

GOLDENEYE - absolut orient apple, apple sour mix, fresh lime, gold

MONEYPENNY - gin, elderflower, grapefruit bitters, lemon, orange twist

Q - gin, lychee, aloe nectar, cucumber

MARY GOODNIGHT - espresso, irish cream, crème de cacao, kahlúa

The exhibit and Luma menu is only available until January 20, buy your tickets soon.
martini image (c)citygirlscapes - Goldeneye (left), Vesper (right)
bond images from google images

All Female Chef Line-Up at 17th Annual Eat to the Beat Fundraiser

Sixty of Canada’s top female chefs are donating their time and talent to create mouthwatering treats at the 17th Annual Eat to the Beat culinary fundraiser TONIGHT (Tuesday, October 16) at 7:00pm at Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe Street, Toronto) in support of Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, a not-for-profit organization that offers free peer support to anyone coping with breast cancer. 

Eat to the Beat has a cornucopia of sweet and savory foods, wines, premium beers and spirits for sampling at food and drink stations positioned around Roy Thomson Hall’s outer lobby. The incredible chef line-up includes Donna Dooher (Mildred’s Temple Kitchen), Anne Yarymowich (Art Gallery of Ontario), Vanessa Yeung (Aphrodite Cooks), Arvinda and Preena Chauhan (Arvinda's Healthy Gourmet Indian Cooking), Joanne Lusted (Clean Eating Magazine), Dufflet Rosenberg (Dufflet Pastries), Madelaine Sperry (Flaky Tart ), Lynn Jones-Adams (Inn on the Twenty), Wanda Beaver (Wanda's Pie in the Sky), Lola Csullog-Fernandez (Pimentón Spanish and Mediterranean Fine Foods), Alida Solomon (Tutti Matti), Adrienne Weinberg (She Takes the Cake) and Top Chef Canada II finalists  Trish Sheen (Crush Wine Bar) and Elizabeth Rivasplata (Art Gallery of Ontario) to name a few.  

They’re fun, they’re colourful, they’re cheeky and they’ve become a tradition at Eat to the Beat.  Adding class with a bit of sass, breast cancer survivors will be modeling original food-inspired corsets that they have created.  

The evening also includes live music, a silent auction featuring must-have items, and a raffle draw for a chance to win great prizes.

Tickets are $150 each (with a tax receipt) and include all food and beverages.  For tickets or to see the line-up of chefs and beverage participants, please visit www.eattothebeat.ca or call 416.778.6314 x 236.  

Images from Eat to the Beat

Stargazing Part 2

Crashing the Set of TMI!

Wow. Today started off great already. Veronica got to meet Colin Egglesfield and then after a search on Twitter, quickly figured out that City of Bones was filming close by at Knox College in the UofT campus and knew she had to grab a friend and head to the scene!

We weren’t sure exactly where they were filming or whether they would be outside the college, but as we walked down St. George Street, we saw the trucks and all the lighting equipment and knew we had arrived! At this point we were fairly certain that Knox College will be where the Institute is. And it is a very good choice, as it looks what we imagined it to look like.

From there, we snuck around the side and saw that they were setting up for an outdoor scene which looked like it might be the Greenhouse. They had set up several green screens which would indicate some sort of action sequence. Our first pass through we were stealthy and made it.

Unfortunately, we also arrived at lunch so cast and crew was on break and lunching inside the Howard Ferguson Hall. When we approached, we saw one woman leave but it wasn’t anyone we recognized.

But we weren’t done with our covert affair as we decided to make another pass through the side of the college. We headed back onto St. George Street and we heard one of the production staff full out yelling on her cell phone. It went something like this “I’m on a street in BLEEPING Toronto!! I need you to get off the BLEEPING writer’s laptop!!”. We sure wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that phone call!

Our second pass through behind the scene wasn’t as covert. We were caught back there and quickly escorted (not so kindly) out of the area. But we got what we came there for, another behind the scene picture! 

The only thing that would’ve made this day better is if we got to stick around to see a scene filmed or one of the stars. You can rest assured that as long as City of Bones continues to film around here, we will be on scene to report!

If you’re on Twitter, follow us @CityGirlScapes!!!!

images (c) CityGirlScapes

Stargazing Part 1

Who knew that a random Thursday in August could be so exciting? Veronica started off today like any other, heading into the office. Except, today was the day she got to meet Colin Egglesfield (Melrose Place) and Rebecca Field (American Reunion) from the new LifeTime show, The Client List!

It’s days like these that Veronica is ever so thankful to be lucky enough to work in the television industry. Colin and Rebecca were trotted out and put on display for all us lucky fans to have our pictures taken with them and to get autographed photos of them!

It’s always refreshing to see two stars that are down to earth and genuinely happy to be here meeting people. Colin was very warm (ok, hot) to the touch and was such a sweetheart. He even complimented Veronica on her choice of a hot pink rubber case for her iPhone!

Morning mission was complete!

Murtzfest 2012

We’re nearing the end of August and while it’s always sad to see summer on its way out, you can’t help but love all the end-of-summer festivals, parties and events. Some people mark the end of summer with the opening of the CNE, but we have another annual summer event that is almost as iconic – Murtzfest.

Arguably the biggest party of the year, Murtzfest is the annual birthday celebration of celebrity journalist Murtz Jaffer. Held in a swanky night club, Murtzfest has a renowned reputation for surprise celebrity guests, a strict purple dress code, lots of booze and a VIP guest list ready to party. You can start to piece together the theatrics that take place year after year.

Continuing the 13-year legacy, Murtzfest 2012 took place on Friday, August 17 at Cheval (606 King Street West) in celebration of Murtz’s 32nd birthday and we made an appearance to check out the scene. We arrived just after 11pm in purple dresses with a few Frescarias in our system. The place was just waking up, but there was the birthday boy looking sharp in his pinstripe shirt and trademark purple fedora.

In a strange but welcomed turn of the tables, he offered to buy us our first drinks of the night. With easy access to the bar we were able to keep those drinks coming, ensuring our social tolerance was in suitable shape.

The long trough-like venue quickly filled up as more people shuffled in, providing ample entertainment for wandering, observing eyes. Spotted: a young Bret Hart, the wanna-be cast of Jersey Shore, a socially inept boy-in-a-suit who wandered aimlessly around all night not speaking to anyone, a bartender who re-served our returned already sipped drinks (he messed up the order after bragging about how well he can read lips) to two other girls beside us and of course, way too many douchebags.

Admittedly, we have not set foot in a club in years and that night was a blatant reminder why. No matter how low cut or tight our dresses were we were still wearing far more material than what was apparently acceptable. And although it is the norm in places like that, paying $10 for watered down juice with a splash of booze is insulting to our existence. We need our drinks good and stiff to survive a night in a place like that. And please don’t get me started on the music.

Needless to say, it takes a hell of a man to get us to go to a party like that, but Murtz, for you, we’ll happily give you the gift of our company year after year no matter what ridiculous place we end up in. Happy Birthday! Hope it was amurtzing.

pictures (c)murtzfest

It's our 3rd Anniversary!

We can hardly believe that a small endeavor started by us 3 years ago has morphed into this! We'd like to take this time to thank all our readers, old and new, for sticking with us.

You can be sure to see more of us in the weeks to come as a new exciting season of TV commences!

And if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow us @CityGirlScapes!

images (c) CityGirlScapes

Toronto’s Fall Home Show 2011 - Better Living Centre – September 22-25, 2011

Discover innovative products, new ideas and great deals at Toronto’s largest Fall Home Show from Thursday, September 22 to Sunday, September 25 at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place, featuring more than 300 renovation and décor specialists offering advice, solutions and inspiration for a wide array of projects for your home.

Runway to Room - Thursday, Sept 22 through Sunday, Sept 25
Using the latest fashion trends to drive and influence home décor, celebrity designers Ramsin Khachi (lounge – Seeing Spots), Glen Peloso (dining room – Mod Men) and Sabrina Linn (bedroom - Swinging Sixties & Seventies), share their creative concepts for fashion-inspired living by designing a room as part of the Runway to Room feature on display during the Fall Home Show from Thursday, September 22 through Sunday, September 25.

Fashion and home decor express a personal style and an individual’s personality, which designers Khachi, Peloso and Linn use as the foundation for their individual rooms. Each designer took their inspiration from a fall fashion trend created by stylist Ji-Yun Timperon and drew upon the colours and patterns of the outfit to add accents and personality to the rooms.

Style At Home Main Stage presented by HGTV - Thursday, Sept 22 to Sunday, Sept 25
From home décor to renovation, local experts and celebrities will offer insight, inspiration and advice on all home improvement needs on the Style at Home Main Stage presented by HGTV during the Fall Home Show from September 22 to September 25.

Celebrity guest speakers include Style at Home Editor in Chief Erin McLaughlin, Style at Home Managing Editor Tamara Robbins Griffith, Style at Home Senior Design Editor Margot Austin, Style at Home Design Editor Jessica Waks, host of HGTV ’s Disaster DIY Bryan Baeumler, Benjamin Moore colour and design experts Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault and Sharon Grech, interior decorator Jackie Morra, home décor expert Vicky Sanderson, financial planning expert Jenn Killins, renovator Michael Upshall, interior decorator and designer Laura Stein, Cocktail Deeva Dee Brun and Runway to Room designers Ramsin Khachi, Glen Peloso and Sabrina Linn.

Guest speakers will discuss renovating and décor tips and designers Khachi, Peloso and Linn will share the design concepts and fashion inspirations behind their Runway to Room feature rooms during a 30 minute moderated panel. Designers will be available in their individual spaces following the panel and Q&A session.

SHOW DATES AND HOURS:
Thursday, September 22 - 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday, September 23 - 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, September 24 - 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, September 25 - 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

ADMISSION:
Adults: $14.00 at the door / $11.00 online
Senior (65+): $12.00 at the door / $9.00 online
Children 13-17: $12.00 at the door / $9.00 online
Children 12 years & Under: FREE

Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place, 151 Princes’ Boulevard. Visit www.fallhomeshow.com for more details, tickets and complete schedule.

images provided by the Fall Home Show

Danforth Sighting

Part of the beauty of this city is the unexpected adventures that present themselves to you if you’re open enough to embrace the opportunity.

Last night, opportunity brought Ashley to The Only for a late night drink, which she ended up sharing with (well, drinking beside) one of her favourite Canadian musicians, Holly McNarland.

Always a sweetheart, Holly politely asked if she could share the sheltered bench and chatted briefly about the weather and the night before giving her attention back to the company she shared.

Holly is currently in the process of recording a new album and often does little gigs in and around the city, keep an eye on her Facebook page if you’re interested. Those pipes – she’s still got ‘em.

image from google images

Revenge of the Nerds - Fan Expo Canada 2011

Toronto was all abuzz this past weekend with tons of huge city events – the CNE, Buskerfest, the Jays were in town, Jack Layton’s funeral, Import Fest, Fan Expo Canada and some big concerts like Tom Morello and Incubus – it’s no wonder these City Girls were booked solid!

With so many great options, how does one choose the best way to spend such precious free time? By embracing the inner nerd and looking to the dark side, of course. On Saturday, August 27, Ashley put on her bravest face and stepped into a whole other universe inside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for her first taste of what the Fan Expo Canada is all about.

Saturday’s celebrity headliners included Eliza Dushku (Buffy, Dollhouse), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Lee Majors (Six Million Dollar Man), Michael Beihn (Terminator, Aliens), Sam Trammell (True Blood) – though he cancelled last minute - and the only reason Ashley even went to the Expo this year, Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactic).

Ashley’s Personal Show Highlights:

Q&A panel with the cast of Lost Girl. The cast was hilarious and very sweet, though the moderator seemed a little… uncertain at times. The cast’s hour meet and greet signing after the panel turned into a three hour affair, they wouldn’t leave until every fan had their opportunity to meet them. That’s a good cast.

Felton of course had the largest fangirl crowd, full of shrieking pre-teens and their parents looming off to the side. There was no way you were getting close to that guy unless you were one of the 600+ fangirls who bought a ticket just to wait in line to buy a ticket for his photo op later in the day. That is unless you’re in the right place at the right time, like buying pizza from Pizza Pizza when Felton decides to cut into the line right beside you to quickly grab a pop.

Vader’s First 501st Legion of Imperial Storm Troopers were on site, walking around in their gear causing a scene wherever they turned. Ashley was fortunate enough to befriend two members pre-costume, a Scottish Storm Trooper and a lanky young lad who turned out to be Darth Vader, which definitely made photo ops a little easier later on. Also, bragging rights for being buddies with Darth Vader.

Having friends in high places can get you far. When a buddy was on-site with one of the four elite opportunities to interview Eliza Dushku, he was kind enough to invite us to the scene to watch it all go down. While it was a huge opportunity for him, it was just as cool to be standing off camera with the publicity team inches away from Eliza. She’s so much prettier in person, if you can believe it.

Sneak peak tournament play of the new Halo: CE Anniversary (release Nov 15) and a large LG 3D Call of Duty: Black Ops tournament.

But the best part of course was MEETING KATEE SACKHOFF!!! Not only did we bombard her signing booth for a bunch of blurry candid shots, but we forked over the $50 for a personal photo session with her as well. Katee is super nice, super cheerful and very sweet. AND SHE PUT HER ARM AROUND ASHLEY. Fangirl moment.

The fan base was an attraction all on its own. The creativity and passion that many people put into their costumes is amazing. A large portion of the day was spent just people watching, picking out our favourite characters and stalking them for pictures.

images (c)CityGirlScapes

No peace, no SEX!! Lysistrata – the sex strike

On a gorgeous Summer evening, we had the pleasure of seeing the Canopy Theatre’s production of Lysistrata – the Sex Strike, our first taste of outdoor theatre on the Philosopher’s Stage Downtown Toronto. We arrived early at Philosopher’s Walk in the UofT grounds and found a sweet spot to lay our blanket down between the two stages.

Lysistrata (Claire Acott) is tired of the Peloponnesian war and with the help of the women on all sides, strategizes a way to end the war by withholding sex from their husbands and lovers until a peace treaty is signed. Calling themselves “Women for Peace”, Lysistrata along with the Spartan women Lampito (Andrea Blakely) and Iris (Kathleen Black) band together to keep their men wanting them but remain unattainable, sending their men into a fit of sexual frustration.

When their lovers return on leave from the war, the women’s resolve is tested, Myrrhine (Carolyn Hall) being the first woman to waiver in the women’s treaty after her husband Kinesias (Chris Murray) returns after many months with an impressive erection. The men’s frustrations and difficulties are very apparent – as seen by the massive fake boners each male actor sported throughout the second act.

And it’s not just the Athenian men that are suffering, their Spartan counterparts are equally on edge and hard….pressed to find a willing woman to warm their beds. But the women stay united in their desire for the war to end and for the permanent return of their lovers and they do not give in to their own natural desires until a peace treaty is signed.

Lysistrata – the Sex Strike was a hilarious, fun and wholly entertaining adaptation to Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata”, addressing the question that has plagued mankind for centuries; can sex be used as a motivator? If you haven’t already guessed, Lysistrata is a piece of work over 2000 years old, and she has most certainly aged well with a theme that is still used in modern times by women to get what they want. But it’s not just about withholding sex to get their way, at its core Lysistrata is about female empowerment, the only power they were allotted at the time.

We have to wonder how all the male actors were able to keep a straight face and remember all their lines while having to wear towels over their raging fake boners bouncing about up and down the stage. We’ll freely admit that we hoped for a male wardrobe malfunction from some of the actors. Afterall, all that separated us from them was a flimsy towel. Platonic love? Yes, please.

But giant appendages weren’t the only things popping up last night; to our surprise we spotted a familiar face in the crowd. It was none other than Neil Silcox, who played Laurence in Hart House’s production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels back in January that we so enjoyed. True to our CityGirls roots, we stayed planted where we were and just stared at him boldly from across the aisle.

Lysistrata – the sex strike is only on for 2 more shows. If you haven’t seen yet, we encourage you to do so tonight or tomorrow before it’s over. Tickets are $10 at the door.

images curtesy of Canopy Theatre

Celebs Abound

Today was just another Comic run Wednesday for Veronica and company at One Million Comix when lo and behold, in walks Golden Globe Award nominee Adam Beach (Flags of our Fathers, L & O: SVU and the highly anticipated Cowboys & Aliens) with what looked like his son Luke.




Veronica immediately took to the Twitterverse to alert her followers of this happenstance meeting. But being a true CityGirl and not wanting to disturb a fellow nerd’s comic selection, she did not approach him but watched him from a safe distance.

Mr. Beach is also known for hosting the annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, which celebrate excellence in our First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities nationwide.

Veronica contemplated snapping a picture of Mr. Beach but did not want to invade his privacy any further than she already had. Needless to say, their next “meeting” shall be when she sees Cowboys & Aliens in the theatre later this month.



Images from Google.

A Very Happy Birthday to Our City Girl - VERONICA!

image (c)citygirlscapes

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous – Another CityGirls First!

You know you’ve made it when you start rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.

Spotted: the wonderful WOODY HARRELSON (Zombieland, Defendor), nonchalantly slipping off his shoes as the lights dimmed at the production of Yellow Face at Hart House Theatre Wednesday night. We hope he enjoyed the show as much as we did!

Woody is most likely in town preparing for the Spring production of Bullet For Adolf – Almost a Comedy at Hart House, in which he directs and wrote with Frankie Hyman. The play is about eight characters that come together in the hot Houston summer of 1983. It runs from April 21- May 7, 2011 and tickets can be bought through www.uofttix.ca or by calling 416-978-8849.

xoxo CityGirls

really poor quality image courtesy of Ashley's Blackberry Torch