Entertainment

Night at the Museum

By Chantel Simmons on May 13, 2009

There’s nothing we love more than a bowl of cereal (sometimes even for dinner), which is why we were excited when we heard about the Kellogg’s Adventure Pass. In partnership with the Canadian Museums Association (CMA), the Kellogg’s Adventure Pass gives you $10 off admission to more than 500 museums, art galleries and zoos across Canada (including our favourite, the newly redesigned AGO) when you purchase a box of Kellogg’s cereal.

MGK_zoopromo

The Kellogg’s Adventure Pass on-pack offer can be found until mid-May on specially marked boxes of Kellogg’s cereals, including Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Mini-Wheats, Corn Pops and Raisin Bran, and is valid until December 30, 2009.

We’re not sure which we’re craving more: an afternoon of culture, or a bowl of cereal.

For a list of participating venues, visit www.kelloggsadventurepass.com

Posted in Entertainment, Events, Food, Uncategorized | 19 Responses

An alternative to the commercialism of Valentine’s Day

By Suzanne Gardner on February 6, 2009

As February 14th grows closer and every store window becomes filled with red and pink merch, it’s natural to feel a bit resistant to the Hallmark aspect of Valentine’s Day. For a day that’s supposed to be all about love, sometimes it sure does feel that the day puts a hefty price on romance.

In an effort to get back to the original meaning of Valentine’s Day, Paperwhite Studio created the “I Love You More Than Blank” project. Calling themselves “a little project with a big heart”, their website invites readers to answer this question: What do you use as a measuring stick for love? All of these answers then get posted on the website in their own adorable little hearts, telling the world about the things people love in second place to their main squeeze.

From super sweet to hilariously bizarre, love measurements featuring all sorts of quirks and interests come out in this blog. I’m completely in love with the concept and I dare you to leave the site without a sappy grin on your face. Visit the site whenever you need a little reminder about the true spirit of Valentine’s Day.

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged Love, Valentine's Day, Websites | Leave a response

Canada’s hit new show that you need to be watching: Being Erica

By Suzanne Gardner on February 2, 2009

CBC is finally batting with the big boys like NBC and CBS with their new comedy/drama series Being Erica starring Canadian actress Erin Karpluk.

Filmed and set in Toronto (I heart Canadian-filmed productions that don’t pretend to be NYC!), Erica follows the story of 32-year-old Erica Strange, a chronic underachiever whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Dr. Tom, a mysterious therapist who takes her back in time to re-do the moments in her life she most wishes she could change. From a traumatizing high school dance to a regretful first sexual experience, Erica uses her gained wisdom and foresight to change these moments of the past to help her move forward with her life in the present.

While the idea of revisiting your past isn’t a new one, Erica and Dr. Tom (Michael Riley) truly make this show shine. Erica’s bumbling kindness and charming sense of humor is incredibly endearing and relatable, and Dr. Tom’s tendency to speak only in quotes adds perfectly to the show’s whimsical quality. Plus, the show’s Canadian and makes its Toronto setting very obviously known with scenes shot on the U of T campus and Yonge and Dundas Square, so that alone is a huge standout aspect to this series.

The other really interesting aspect of this show is CBC’s massive and intricate publicity campaign. If you live in TO, you’ve surely seen the multitude of posters, most likely in subway stations. Additionally, CBC set up a video blog for Erica that started posting in the weeks leading up to the series premiere, in order to get Canadians hyped up for the show. To continue this energy now that the show has premiered, CBC has also created a personal Facebook page for Erica that allows viewers to get to know the TV character on a more personal level. Add her as a friend and she’ll add you back!

Support Canadian TV and check out Being Erica tonight at 9 p.m. If you miss tuning in tonight, CBC is re-airing the same episode this Wednesday at 9 p.m., and as of next week the show will be switching to that Wednesday time slot. To catch up on the first four episodes, go to CBC’s Being Erica video page where full episodes are available on demand.

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged CBC, TV | Leave a response

The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green by Starre Vartan

By Chantel Simmons on September 20, 2008

OK. Let’s be honest. I am not the greenest person alive. In fact, there are days that I don’t recycle. But I have an excuse! I live in a condo, and to recycle you have to cart everything down to the basement. So, if I were to have a recycling bin, I would have to carry that down, then carry it back up, then go back down the elevator to leave to say, go to work. Which is three 25-floor elevator rides. Who has time for that? The other option is just to put my recycling in plastic bags and tote those down, then recycle the bag, too. Which works, it’s just that then you have to make a trip like every single day. The point is though, we all have excuses, which is just not very productive when you’re trying to make a green planet, is it?

Which is why I just have to buck up and make a trip daily. Which I’m trying to do. In the meantime, however, there are other, more fun!, ways to be green. And they’re all listed in the cutest little book:

Filled with useful ways to greenify your life, it’s like a little reference manual that you can flip open to any page for a bit of inspiration, such as:

• Buy vintage and recycled jewellery (since mining for gold and silver are notoriously polluting).

• Pretty up with organic, biodegradable hair products, body washes, moisturizers and makeup

• Party with the planet in mind: have a fabulous fiesta with organic and seasonal goods from local farmers’ markets! (including all-natural cocktail recipes)

• Answers to those questions that everyone wonders but is afraid to ask, like Dishwashing or handwashing?

The best part is that the book is printed on recycled paper and is small enough to tuck into your handbag, so you have a constant reminder (or, something to read while I’m riding the elevator to the recycling bin).

Shopping info: The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green by Starre Vartan, St. Martin’s Griffin, $16.95 US/$18.95 Cdn, at bookstores.

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged Books, Green | Leave a response

Paige One: Jeans

By Chantel Simmons on September 1, 2008

Until last year, I’d never owned a pair of expensive jeans. Shame, I know. But when I was contemplating my outfit for my New York book launch, I decided a dress was out. I wanted to wear jeans.

Which is when I fell in love with Paige jeans.

Years before launching Paige Premium Denim in 2005, Paige Adams-Geller, aka the Queen of Jeans, was a fit model for major jean designers (including Paper, Denim and Cloth, Seven and Blue Cloth). By trying on thousands of pairs of jeans, she got to know what makes the perfect pair of jeans that will make every woman — no matter what her body type — feel good. Now, together with Ashley Borden (a Nike Elite Trainer and fitness and lifestyle consultant to Mandy Moore and Christina Aguilera) and Zibby Right (contributor to Self, Shape and Modern Bride), they’ve written Your Perfect Fit.

What’s so unique about the book is that it combines fashion tips with fitness tips. Divided into chapters by body part, you can flip right to the part of your body you don’t particularly love, and find out how to make it look better. So, if you hate the size of your butt, Ashley tells you how to work out to change it over the next few weeks, but Paige tells you how to dress to minimize it for your date tonight. Perfect.

Shopping info: Your Perfect Fit, McGraw-Hill, $18.95. Am In

Posted in Entertainment, Style | Tagged Books, Paige Jeans | Leave a response