Wet and damp days are hardly the prescription for summer moods to set in but a great love affair will lend some heat anytime, anywhere.
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Friday, 7 June 2013
Imagine, when you are hungry for a funny princess story, suddenly you find yourself in a luxurious bed room belonging to an aristocrat in a mansion. This man is not like those killed in French revolution, but a sort of skinny dude whose eyes look gloomy.
He is busy and doesn't care about seeing you there look like crying for help as you get confused how come, while you are in a meeting and there's no funny princess story in your mind, you landed there. You might look up at the ceiling just try to figure out where you have been before. But to your amazement there's something more fancy there to stop you from wondering why.
A red curtain covering a huge gate is drawn open slowly and there's a silhouette on a screen and a slide: It's funny princess story, a title is being shown. While this might sound silly, but you asked for it, that's why your fancy threw you away to this mansion. Now there's nothing more comfortable than watching it.
So here is the funny princess story goes: Once upon a time, an aristocrat landed in a luxurious bed room in mansion. This man was not like those killed in French revolution, but just look like you--a sort of skinny dude whose eyes look gloomy. And amazing, there appeared a man who looked just like you too, busy and didn't care seeing him there like crying for help as he got confused how come all this come into being.
Both of you and your shadow start to get away from this hallucination during a meeting lead by a pretty stake holder, but keep wondering while yawning; is it really a funny princess story?
He is busy and doesn't care about seeing you there look like crying for help as you get confused how come, while you are in a meeting and there's no funny princess story in your mind, you landed there. You might look up at the ceiling just try to figure out where you have been before. But to your amazement there's something more fancy there to stop you from wondering why.
A red curtain covering a huge gate is drawn open slowly and there's a silhouette on a screen and a slide: It's funny princess story, a title is being shown. While this might sound silly, but you asked for it, that's why your fancy threw you away to this mansion. Now there's nothing more comfortable than watching it.
So here is the funny princess story goes: Once upon a time, an aristocrat landed in a luxurious bed room in mansion. This man was not like those killed in French revolution, but just look like you--a sort of skinny dude whose eyes look gloomy. And amazing, there appeared a man who looked just like you too, busy and didn't care seeing him there like crying for help as he got confused how come all this come into being.
Both of you and your shadow start to get away from this hallucination during a meeting lead by a pretty stake holder, but keep wondering while yawning; is it really a funny princess story?
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
We sang Happy Birthday to Billy last month.
To the rest of the world he is William Shakespeare, but you could forgive Stratford Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino for using a nickname in his welcome to a crowd of enthusiasts recently gathered at Toronto's Koerner Hall.
Billy the Bard was like family to this group.
We were there for the Shakespeare Slam, the launch of the Stratford Forum, a hodge podge of debates, screenings, concerts and discussions that the festival hopes will bring in new audiences.
Getting things started was a debate: Was Shakespeare a pop artist?
Both participants emphasized labels of pop and classic are forever shifting and overlapping and in doing so, losing value. Musician and cultural commentator Torquil Campbell suggested Shakespeare was the king of the pop hook, that essential grab-the-audience moment that connects them forever to the material.
New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik agreed, adding Shakespeare remains demanding, a quality all great classical artists share. For some, the very mention of ART is alienating and yet, Gopnik argued, it's OK to stand in front of a painting or in a dark theatre and not get it, to be challenged. Getting teachers who can connect the dots for contemporary audiences of Shakespeare would help and yes, most English teachers don't have a clue.
Filmmaker Josh Whedon isn't fussed about labels. His adaptation of the original rom com, Much Ado about Nothing, opens next week in Toronto, and from the lengthy cheers I heard at the TIFF screening last fall, there's little issue with connection. Whedon shot the film in his own house using a familiar cadre of actors who have been gathering in his home over the years to perform Billy the Bard's plays... for kicks. Yes, the man who brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Avengers, told the L.A Times, it's Shakespeare's hip qualities he loves."That’s why I love it. Because it’s still so relevant. Actually, I would say that’s exactly half of it. I love it because it’s so modern, because there’s still so much to learn and say and think through in the text, and every time you see a good production, or do a reading, or really read through it, you find something you didn’t see before. Every now and then, I’ll just memorize a little bit from something just to sort of feel it out, just to sort of live it for a little while. And then I’ll forget it, but it’s amazing how much you learn just from that one little exercise. On the one hand, yeah, it’s so accessible, and on the other hand, there is a remove. There is musicality in the language that is largely lost."
And that's precisely how the film feels-a hip and loose lark that celebrates the original text but is very much of the moment.
After I saw the film, I wanted to go back to my 10 year old self and the days of backyard theatre, where my pals and I did homemade fairy tales for tolerant neighbours on garden benches. Whedon makes art for everybody but especially for my kids and their peers who are struggling through June exams, thinking "just why am I studying this again?"
Here is your answer. It's also a gold star on the essay "How I spent my vacation". Whedon shot the film, in between projects, over 12 days. Summer's around the corner. What will you do?
Have a peek.
Sunday, 26 May 2013
It's picnic season, otherwise known as play hooky and get thee to a patch of grass.
With or without companions. A book will do fine.
With or without companions. A book will do fine.
Anne's Picnic Imperatives
1. Unless you like the taste of grass, bring a tablecloth.
2. Pack ice packs to keep food cool. Nothing kills a picnic quicker than lukewarm food.
3. There is no such thing as standard picnic fare. Think beyond sandwiches. Crab salad, sushi, cold chicken, tomato salad, marinated veggie and goat cheese baguettes: be creative.
4. Don't forget cold drinks. Lemonade is a clincher.
5. Pack extra napkins, wipes, straws, utensils. A sharp knife comes in handy and no, it's not for stabbing ants.
6. Always bring a surprise treat.
Ditch anyone who thinks eating outside is icky. They're not worth knowing.
Eating outside is just peachy.
To help you get started, here's a winning picnic cake:
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Thursday, 23 May 2013
For my kid brother, who once loved KISS, and my husband and others in the air guitar generation, this is for you.
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Thursday, 16 May 2013
Emma Watson may have quashed the rumours about being cast in soft porn 50 Shades of Grey but she's still determined to leave Hogwarts behind for good.
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Tuesday, 14 May 2013
I'm looking for a good spring tonic. Comedy is the easiest reach, done up by some cute dudes, even better. I married a funny guy so let's just say I'm partial to cheek. It's spring. A little lust is normal.
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