Andy Warhol Exhibit

I went to see the Andy Warhol Exhibit yesterday and it was really good. There were lots of interesting pieces that I hadn't seen before including one called "1947 White" which was a repeating silk-screen of a woman who had jumped off of the Empire State Building and landed on top of a limousine, her body imprinted on the roof of the car. The best images were definitely the disaster images, but the whole exhibit tied together the theme of the connection between celebrity and disaster. We were given an audio commentary by David Cronenberg, with clips from Dennis Hopper, and other Factory regulars. Pretty cool.

Otherwise, this weekend was a bit of a wash out - I'm not complaining, I kinda needed a break.

Andy Warhol Supernova & Rockstar Supernova

Tomorrow afternoon I am supposed to be going to the AGO for the Andy Warhol Supernova Exhibition . While I am not a huge Warhol fan, this exhibit is guest-curated by David Cronenberg and subtitled "Stars, Deaths and Disasters, 1962–1964" which sounds promisingly disturbing. I will report back on that next week.

And speaking of Supernova, has anyone else been watching Rockstar Supernova (or what I call "Old Rockstar") this summer? This was not something I wanted to get into, at all, but somehow it happened. What this means is that I have to devote 2 1/2 hours a week to watching rockstar karaoke and the reality show drama that goes along with it.

Things I have learned from Rockstar Supernova
1. The importance of the words "rock" and "bring it" when auditioning to be a rockstar. As in, the crowd will go wild any time one of the contestants ("rockers") says "I'm going to bring it. Rock." Tommy Lee will also nod enthusiastically with approval.
2. Gilby Clarke wears a lot of makeup. As in, he is orange, dark orange. Some may say Oompa Loompan.
3. Rockstars wear their belt with the buckle on the side. Also, crowd surfing is a surefire way to bring the rock.
4. Rockstars have to hold the microphone up to their mouth like this, otherwise you are not rock:


I'm assuming that we can expect a rock-fuelled hook-up between Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke anytime now. "You rock, baby", "No, you rock, sweetie"...

A Rainy Saturday Afternoon

This weekend is looking lamer and lamer. Last night I stayed home and watched the TBS movie Something's Gotta Give . I knew it would be bad but I am a sucker for Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, and even Keanu Reeves wasn't too bad. Tonight was supposed to be a drinks on a patio sort of night, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen, thanks to the weather.

Now magazine had a travel article this week about Mauritius. Look at this cool picture of giant water lily pads - they can be up to 2 feet across. Pretty wild.



I'm at work now, but in a lazy mood. I am looking at taking a short trip to Montreal sometime this summer, so I'm looking around for cheap hotels, etc. Ok, just had a look at VIA and it is cheaper to travel to New York by train than Montreal....Time to rethink my plans.

I will report back when I have something a little more interesting to say.

Later.

Secret Nerd Club - The Johnny Weir Post

Ok, there is nothing cool about this post but I have decided to tell you about the subject of my recent Internet stalking: figure skater Johnny Weir, who I discovered (get this) while watching the Kathy Griffin show the other night.

Here's what Gawker had to say:

We Wish We Knew How to Quit You, Johnny Weir
Is there anyone better to represent America than figure skater Johnny Weir? We think not. The man describes himself as "princessy," applies self-tanner before performances, compares the competition to a "shot-of-vodka-and-a-snort-of-coke kind of thing," and skates wearing a single red glove named "Camille." Hell, his home club is the Skating Club of New York, which is based out of Chelsea piers. As far as we're concerned, Weir's got enough fagulous pluses in his column to make him an honorary New Yorker....Seriously, you can't help but love the crap out of Johnny Weir. Unless, of course, you're completely homophobic.


So, there you have it. Have a look at his site http://www.figureskatersonline.com/johnnyweir/ including a journal, pictures, and many, many Christina Aguilera references. You won't be disappointed.

Night at the Mod Club

So, I'm sure everyone will disagree, but I thought that Bonde do Role were fantastic - a party in a box. How can you not like two 18 year old Brazillians rapping over an AC/DC mashup? Come on!

CSS didn't really do it for me. Yay, another girl group doing indie rock - revolutionary.

I have some super crappy pictures of blurry shapes on a stage that I will post later. I tried to get closer but the place was full of steakheads, as usual.

Anyhow, back to work.

Over and out.

Another Friday Night in Toronto...

...and tonight Ryan and I are going to the Mod Club Theatre to check out CSS, Bonde do Role and Diplo. I have only heard one song by CSS - Let's Make Love and listen to Death From Above - and don't know too much else about them, except that they are from Brazil and have a le Tigre thing going on. Diplo is the producer responsible for the M.I.A. album.

This week I picked up the new Malajube album "Trompe l'oeil". It is pretty good, but the recording quality isn't great - it's an indie and they were probably on a limited budget. Even better, I got the Islands cd "Lost at Sea" which I love! They seem to be on tour all summer in Europe, but hopefully will hit Toronto at some point this fall.

The rest of the weekend is wide open. It's supposed to be ridiculously hot, so I might just hide out inside with my a/c and on Sunday I might see the movie Thank you for Smoking at the Bloor.

That's about it for now. Over and out.