Edmonton non-profit benefits, but indie cinema firm left reeling
Citadel Theatre says it’s not worried about filling the void that will be left when Metro Cinema departs Zeidler Hall and heads south across the river to The Garneau in a few months, but the move has an unhappy ending for The Garneau’s soon-to-be displaced tenant. “For us, it was a dream come true and […]
For shuttered cyber cafe, art is in the eye of the lease holders
The closure of a cafe that was a venue and hangout for artists on Jasper Ave. this week may seem ironic given that city council adopted a report last year calling for more downtown arts venues. The Capital City Downtown Plan, officially adopted in July 2010, states that “in order to sustain and grow the […]
Edmonton arts haven loses lease, landlord says it doesn’t fit in
A city arts haven is closing, with its landlord pulling the lease because it doesn’t fit the company’s idea of a tenant. Naked Cyber Cafe and Espresso Bar has been a venue for Edmonton performers and artists in the former Birks Building on Jasper Ave. for a decade, but the downtown coffee shop is closing […]
REVIEW: The big-time economics of video gaming
Tom Chatfield admits he loves computer games and may therefore be shamelessly partisan in his book “Fun Inc., Why Games are the 21st Century’s Most Serious Business.” But he is not just your average IT guy bitching about how nobody in the office reboots before calling tech support, or flaming newbies on forums with RTFMs. […]
Cord-cutters ditching cable for online TV
Maybe you’ve seen the TV commercial by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants that’s narrated by Newfoundland-born actor Gordon Pinsent and features a series of images that include a woman crying in an office, a Charlie Chaplin-like silent movie character, and a man stomping on a flaming bag of dog poo. It’s a memorable ad […]
LITERATURE: Montmaray a masterful fantasy, absent magic
“A Brief History of Montmaray” by Michelle Cooper is set in a fictional, wind-lashed island kingdom and is aimed at the teenage market – yet none of the characters have any supernatural powers. Everyone lives in a castle that has secret tunnels and even a creepy crypt, but there’s not a witch, warlock, or handsome […]
No trespassing – amazing photos from urban explorers
It would be difficult for Edmonton’s urban explorers to stage a photography show, because so many of their best pictures are evidence of illegal activity. For those who’ve never heard of urban exploring, it involves climbing chain link fences that have signs that say “No Admittance” or passing through doors that say “Authorized Personnel Only.” […]
REVIEW: A realist’s guide to the fruits of vegging out
There’s something telling about the media release that got sent out with How to Grow Food, a new book by Richard Gianfrancesco about harvesting your own vegetables and herbs in everything from kitchen flower pots to a mansion estate backyard. It states that 31 per cent of households participate, or desire to participate, in food […]
Ceili’s open stage a comedy gym for local performers
Chris Ianson, the night manager at Ceili’s Irish Pub on 104th Avenue, finds himself in a pickle on Tuesday nights when 9:30 rolls around and the free comedy is supposed to start. Frequently, the Oilers have been playing on Tuesday, and on this particular night every one of the bar’s dozen screens is tuned to […]
LITERATURE: A bodice-ripping good time from Cheryl Tardif’s alter-ego
Cheryl Kaye Tardif is an Edmonton writer of thriller/suspense novels. She’s had several of them published, has one due out this month, and has a loyal following. So why in the world did she want to write a romance called “Lancelot’s Lady” under a somewhat cheesy-sounding pen name of Cherish D’Angelo? “I’ve always said since […]
Freedom to Read: Putting the “ink” in kinky
It was a bitterly cold night on the east side of Jasper Avenue, but things were heating up inside the ARTery as the Edmonton Public Library hosted an evening of erotic literature readings as part of Freedom to Read Week. It was the library’s first time hosting an event like this, and while it may […]
ART: Auction helps promote pedal power
A number of years ago, a fire broke out at a storage garage where many Edmontonians who owned high-end sports cars or other vintage automobiles kept them for the winter. The blaze destroyed some very expensive vehicles, and as you can imagine, their owners were terribly upset. But the car that Edmontonians cared most about […]
