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TJFF 2012 Gala
1812: Forged In Fire
I ran into an old acquaintance last week, @LaurynElanZuk a few weeks ago in Kensington Market and was questioned on my knowledge of the War of 1812. Naturally, I couldn’t resist getting a little silly on camera. Looks like I need to go back to my history books, because I got things a bit wrong, but it’s too bad they cut my Southpark Cowboys Vs. Aliens-inspired rant!
Lucky for Lauryn and her team, The Huffington Post picked up the promo piece and wrote it up below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/25/war-of-1812-video_n_1453556.html
Quick history quiz. Who started the War Of 1812? Who fought in it? Who won?
If you’re like many Canadians, chances are you don’t know the answer to these questions. Even though the war played a pivotal role in the eventual creation of Canada and would shape the development of the United States.
Or as writer Stephen Marche explained in the Walrus, “For the US, the war confirmed its status as a sovereign state and tested the limits of manifest destiny. On this side of the border, the matter is much simpler: if we hadn’t won the War of 1812, we wouldn’t be Canadian.”
The producers of 1812: Forged In Fire, an upcoming documentary about the conflict, took to Toronto’s streets and asked people what they knew about the War of 1812. The answer, not a heck of a lot. It’s a bit surprising considering one of the war’s pivotal battles took place right here in Toronto (then called York) and nearly destroyed the fledgling city.
People do remember that story about British (Canadian?) troops burning down the White House (sorta).
Toronto Jewish Film Fest 2012 (#TJFF20)
So this is me. No, not the stunt walkin Rabbi, but the Rabbi’s double. The guy who pulls the quick change and leaves the cabby at the end of the ad. Not exactly a masterpiece of modern commercial acting, but a piece of acting none the less that landed me my first ACTRA (actors union) credit, after banging my head against a wall to no avail for a good five years prior, to the point where I gave up on the whole endeavour and moved on to other things, only to return to my old agents in December 2011. Getting into ACTRA is no mean feat, and I like to call my entry an act of G-d. My casting for the role was pure serendipity — an application for a vague position posted on Jigsaw Casting Ltd.’s Facebook page that stated “Seeking!!! – Male, caucasian. To fit the following sizes. Height 5’8 / 5’9. Neck 16, Jacket 40, Waist 34. Possibly has curly hair but dont limit.”… and the decisive line… “does not need to be union.” I wrote in stating my stats which were in the right ballpark and forgot about it.
A day or two later I got the call to come in for the fitting and bingo-bango, I was in. To be honest, I was told very little about the role and almost didn’t show because I thought I was going to be used as a stand-in for the actual Rabbi (for no pay since the TJFF is a charity, making this a PSA). Good thing I sucked it up because little did I know that this was an ACTRA production, which meant that anyone on the set was elligible to join by default. And so, my life has changed as the little seed I planted, watered and nourished years ago, has now flourished. I wish I could quote some wise words from the Talmud or the Tanach because I’m sure there is a story in there that mirrors my experience, but I ‘ll leave that to the pros, and the more experienced Hollywood jews. I’m grateful for the blessings and my entry into the union couldn’t have been more fitting. Yes, G-d is great. :)
Henrik Vibskov Gestalten Book Launch
I’ve not yet met designer Henrik Vibskov, in fact, but I did get to chat with Danish rock star/dj/producer Anders Trentemøller whom he toured with last year during his phenomenal Coachella tour, so I guess that I do have 1 degree of separation, which is pretty damn cool. I’ve always been a fan of his abstract and avant garde fashion, so i was blown away when I heard he would be sessioning with the band. Here’s a little quote from Anders, on his time with Henrik.
“Its funny, I didn’t know he was famous when I met him. We were just jamming with friends one night, really drunk. It was later that I went to a local shop and saw his name on all the clothes that I realized. It was nice for him to take a break from fashion and have music as a creative outlet. The fashion world can be very superficial sometimes.”
From the release, “Henrik Vibskov is the first comprehensive presentation of his remarkably multifaceted creative vision. Many of the enlightening texts and project descriptions are written by Vibskov himself. They offer deeply personal insight into the twisted yet tantalizing worlds that he creates on a daily basis.
Forty years ago Henrik Vibskov was born in the backcountry of Denmark. Ten years ago he founded his fashion label whose acclaimed collections are now shown regularly at international shows such as Paris Men’s Fashion Week. In addition, Vibskov keeps himself occupied touring as the drummer of various musical projects. His art has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world including MoMA PS1 and Sotheby’s Gallery in New York, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Akira Ikeda Gallery in Nagoya, and the ICA in London.
One does not need to understand Vibskov’s work in order to instinctually grasp how relevant it has become for the future of art and fashion. Capturing his incomparable skill at melding and staging concept, space, and object, this monograph is inspirational for anyone working creatively.”
Little Burgundy Spring/Summer 2012 – Dog Days Of Summer
A Short History of Canadian Whisky – Infographic
Canadian Club Dock 57
If you’ve been to the LCBO lately, you’ll see the whisky companies are going gangbusters with their displays so it makes perfect sense for the iconic Canadian Club to be joining the race in the latest trend of spiced dark liquors, started by the likes of Sailor Jerry Rum and piggy-backed by brands like Kraken and Cruzan 9.
The taste of blended scotch is not one that people tend to flock to, so why not step up the game a bit with some new dimensions. Dock No. 57 was inspired by the historic Prohibition era shipping dock where Canadian Club’s export manager Bill “The Real” McCoy shipped the Canadian Club whisky that quenched the thirst of Americans during the dry years.
With a nod to Canadian Club’sProhibition roots, Canadian Club Dock No. 57 Spiced and Canadian Club Dock No. 57 Blackberry infuse spice and flavour respectively, with the classic smooth character of Canadian Club. The regular “Spiced” version is a Canadian whisky take on the trend that has captured the imaginations of rum drinkers over the past decade while Dock No. 57 Blackberry offers a unique new fruit flavor profile in the brown spirits category.
I’m quite a fan of most spiced rums. finding the sweet vanilla and berry undertones to be quite balanced and delicious, but the spiced whisky category is entirely new to me and Dock 57 is the first that’s come across my palate.
I really wanted to like it, but I’ve found the flavour profile to be more on the sugary, syrupy side of the alco-pop market not leaving much room for subtelty, unabashedly geared more towards female newcomers to the liquor store aisles (as stated in the press release) “The brand is poised to capitalize on recent growth trends in ready-to-drink and flavoured spirits that are giving Canadian whisky a boost and helping to open the door to new consumers – namely younger adults and women – while bartenders are also coming to value flavoured spirits for cocktails.”
After all, I can’t imagine too many dudes making mad dashes for Blueberry whiskey. However, in all fairness, I did not get too crazy with my mixes involving Dock 57, and it could add some interesting character to classics like a Caesar, or the suggested Maple Manhattan (Dock 57, maple syrup, dash of cherry bitters).
The sugary formula makes sense for their (also) new line of pre-mixed cola and ginger ale cans, but for a premium bottle, they might want to re-jig things a bit.
As I’m not an expert on these things, I’ve lifted the flavour profile from CanadianWhisky.org.
Nose: Rye spices and all the old familiar Canadian Club whisky smells. Black fruit, then licorice cigars and vague hints of vanilla but this is clearly Canadian whisky. Suggestions of citrus fruit underlie a surprisingly well balanced potation. This is no one-dimensional concoction, but rather the first spiced whisky that still puts the whisky aromas out front. The nose shows fewer toffee notes than the standard CC Premium 6 year old and develops some elements of artist’s canvas after a few minutes in the glass.
Palate: Sweet, very spicy, and peppery with slight hints of pulling oak. Full bodied but with a feeling of citrus pith though not a lot of citrus notes. Hot cinnamon hearts and hints of vanilla with more toffee than on the nose along with suggestions of sour rye. The blenders have managed to resist the urge to overdo the spices so it retains a pleasant whisky flavour, that with the added sweetness strays vaguely into liqueur territory. The nose is more complex than the palate.
Finish: Short to medium with pepper, hints of white grapefruit, and a nice warming glow.
Empty Glass: Dry grain, clean oak.
$25.95 at LCBO.
Little Burgundy Magazine Spring/Summer 2012 – Planking & Leisure Diving
The Grid (print) x Whippersnapper Gallery x Angel Chen’s Candid Call Centre: Money Talks
