It’s the best Don in the business’ birthday today. And no it isn’t Tony’s.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE DON OF ALL DONS. ANNA VON FRANCES.

MY DON COULD KICK YOU DON’S ASS, ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

By: Kim Cuachon

Photos: John White, Toronto Sun

Last minute appearance made at the Hyatt Regency Toronto, en route to his Oshawa show, on his Freedom Tour. Gosh, what is his name again? You know the one who sang “Then possibly bend you over/Look back and watch me/Smack that, all on the floor/ Smack that, give me some more/ Smack that, til you get sore/ Smack that, ohh, ohh”, that’s him, Akon.

The press conference according to Matteo Sestito of Sestito Entertainment Group, says, “This was a last minute thing that was thrown together…we hope that tonight’s concert goes well.” Not a huge turn-out as a result but some kudos to be made for Hollywood North as this shindig brought Mena Suvari (American Beauty and American Pie) and Akon together in the same room for five minutes. I know, odd pairing, kind of like a glass of Cab and cake. The inside scoop on that is that she is the fiancé of Akon’s concert promoter, Simone Sestito.

Mena Suvari with fiance Simone Sestito

Waiting and waiting, 45 minutes later enter Suvari, dressed in a black one piece tube top with pant outfit accented with gold belt and necklace. She looked like a fish out of water as she sipped on VOSS water, when offered a scallop hors d’oeuvre, she responded, “Not into shellfish.” I believe she really meant to say, “Not into food.” What is it with some girls?  Food good, yes, eat!

Akon

Akon decides to grace us with his presence, 5 minutes before he was scheduled to leave; ironically, he is on time with his departure, but not on time with his appearance. Here’s where Mr. Fabulous’ true colours come out – this appearance was based on a ridiculous discount that he received for forty guestrooms at $85.00 per night! (Source to remain unnamed) And all he could give was two minutes of his time.

It brings to perspective Colton when he said, “Riches may enable us to confer favours, but to confer them with propriety and grace requires a something that riches cannot give.” New money is what I call it, when all of a sudden you forget where you came from, and here you are rolling with people who only like you because of your latest “Ass smacking”, but this time, you have given it an alternative verb for your next hit.

Our Hometown Hero , K-OS has returned … With his fourth album “Yes!”. As with everything he does, K-OS is always breaking boundaries… And, the Yes! Karma Tour is no exception.

The shows are not ticketed, and entrance will be on a first-come first-served basis. Sooo with that said you could imagine how jammed packed the Kool Haus was. With fans of all ages coming out to support… I even met K-OS’ BIGGEST little fan Ivie who happens to be my new BFF!!

K-OS & Ivie

Here’s the deal in exchange for super awesome concert experience fans are asked to contribute to the CAUSE… 1- David Suzuki Awareness Table: 50% of funds raised will go to the David Suzuki Foundation, the other 50% will go towards offsetting tour costs. 2 – Karma Table: this table will be designated for Karma donations only. 3 – Exit doors: Security will be set up at the exit doors of each show with cash-only drop boxes for people to pay what they felt the show was worth.

The vibe at the concert was real chill, the interaction K-OS had with the crowd was genuine that of an old friend if ya kno what I mean. He was rollin’ with his full band & of course his DJ on the 1’s & 2’s.

The crowd was engaged with tracks like “Valhalla” and “Catdiesel”; where at times K-OS was almost overshadowed by his band and DJ who were soo bad ass. Like really, the guitarist at one point went on a solo rift that was soo nuts I thought he was in he’s own world.

In true K-OS fashion he hit the crowd with up-tempo Joyful Rebellion and Hymns to Atlantis and favourites like “Crabbuckit” and “Sunday Morning,” spontaneously droppin’ a freestyle every now and then. Tracks from Yes! included “Burning Bridges”and “4, 3, 2, 1” and were energetically performed with breaks of keyboard, guitar and a beat-box here n there. We just couldn’t let him walk off stage and say the nite was over… Soooo, with bellows and screams of encores, K-OS gave in to the peer pressure & hit the stage for one more. The nite ended with “Man I Used to Be” where K-OS donned a trench coat for all his adoring fans!!!

I hope everyone did their part to contribute what they could!?! Now, doesn’t that feel good!! Can we say “Instant Karma”!!

Young, environmentally friendly and really good; that is Steam Whistle pilsner. Since their beginning in Spring of 1998 the 3 men behind Steam Whistle pilsner have focused on creating one beer and making it really really really good. It’s safe to say they have succeeded. Steam Whistle is a distinct beer due to it’s 1950′s vibe. The name and logo itself are a throw back to the good old days, when the whistle of the roundhouse would signify the end of the day. The whistle would blow and everyone would settle down and relax with a cold beer. Steam Whistle is not only old school in it’s style but in its customer service initiatives as well. Everything throughout their company is personalized and you the customer are their very best friend. As their website states, “personalized service just like the 50’s Milk Man would have given.” You can’t go wrong with that!

Steam Whistle has carried out big efforts in keeping their company enviromentally friendly, all the way from  their bottles to their steam heat. Even the tasty liquid itself is environmentally friendly. This pilsner is made out of 4 completely naturally ingredients that are all GMO free; spring water, malted barley, hops and yeast. Drinking a beer helps you relax, drinking a Steam Whistle helps the environment relax. It’s a win-win situation. And if you live in Toronto, you should definitely go on the Steam Whistle Brewery tour.

And the prices are:

BOTTLES – 341ml each
6 pack – $12.75
12 pack – $23.45
24 pack – $42.95

CANS – 500ml each
Single Can – $2.75
24 Pack (Beer Store Only) – $59.95

DRAUGHT
20 litre Keg – $78.25 plus $20 keg deposit
30 litre Keg – $112.95 plus $50 keg deposit
50 litre keg – $179.95 plus $50 keg deposit

Now it has to be 5 o’clock somewhere. You know the drill, crack open a steamwhistle.

I had a visitor coming to town and I wanted to plan a fun week. I am not from Toronto; I’m only here for school so I am not what you call a grade A tour guide. This is where the Steam Whistle Brewery Tour helped me out. After some Toronto googling I landed on the friendly green planet of Steam Whistle.

Here’s the low down. The tour options are:

1. Souvenir Tour:
This tour includes one free sample upon enter, a tour of the brewing house and your choice of a tasting glass or a retro bottle opener.
price: $8.00

2. Four Pack Tour:
This tour includes one free sample upon enter, a tour of the brewing house and a 4 pack of beer.
price: $13.00

3. Six Pack Tour
This tour includes one free sample upon enter, a tour of the brewing house and a 6 pack of beer.
price: $15.00

4. Twelve Pack Tour
This Tour includes one free sample upon enter, a tour of the brewing house and a 12 pack of beer.
price: $26.00

Ok so first of all, all those tour options are a FUCKING STEAL. I’d go for the 12 pack tour on a hot summer day.

You enter the brewery, which is located right behind the Rogers Center, and they offer you a beer as soon as your first foot steps threw the door. Obviously you are parched so you accept. You sign up for your tour and you are presented with a free beer token. SCORE! The tour itself begins and it is actually quite interesting. Steam Whistle is only just reaching their ten year anniversary so their history is short and relevant. The best part about Steam Whistle, besides their tasty tasty beer, is their green initiatives. They were green before being green was cool. And I respect that.  Along with greening our community Steam Whistle supports the arts. Traveling through the halls and ending up at the bar you notice that the building is plastered with art. On the tour we find out that this is Canadian based art. They host different artists monthly on their walls and in their gift shop. It is a beautiful place this brewery. Of course my opinion maybe enhanced due to the fact that during my time at the Steam Whisstle Brewery I consumed 5  (FREE) beers. And then left on my merry with a six pack in hand.

I highly recommend this adventure to all, especially Torontonians. Even moving to Toronto I’ve gained a too cool for anything ordinary kind of attitude. Drop it right now and pick up your subway pass and head down to the brewery. I mean it’s the perfect pre-game destination. You can get perfectly hammered for the price of $15. I’ve come to find that that is very rare in Toronto.  I’ve found the loop hole to expensive drinking: THE STEAM WHISTLES BREWRY COMPANY. Come on, go get sloppy.

I have converted from my Manitoban beer drinking ways to a full fledged green Steam Whistle gal. CHEERS EVERYBODY.

I won’t lie, I’m a pretty budget-conscious traveler. I take buses, as opposed to trains or planes (I paid $24 to go to the Big Apple and back!), I couchsurf or stay at hostels instead of staying at hotels and I will always seek out the fun, free things to do in every city I’m visiting.

Every now and then though, it’s nice to stay at a hotel and feel fancy. The Sheraton Centre is perfect when coming to Toronto for a visit, as it is situated downtown on Queen St West. Everything is literally steps away – you have the Eaton Centre right next door, access to a subway station and Queen streetcar, what else could you ask for?

The hotel itself is clean and really comfortable, and if you want to spend the big bucks, you can have a nice suite. Maybe the spa suite, or maybe the parlor suite? There’s also tons of activities in the hotel if you want to take a break from exploring the city – like a spa and massages clinic, waterfall gardens and pool, a 24 hour fitness centre and a few restaurants. There’s no way you’ll get bored here.

Name: Hatchmatik
Occupation: DJ / On-line Boutique Owner / Dance Studio Owner
Biggest turn on: good dancers
Biggest turn off: bad attitudes
City: Montreal
How many years have you lived there?: 24 of my 27 years
Why do you call it home?: most European city outside of Europe -
bilingual - hella cultured - no where
else in north America compares!

Best spot...if you're ballin:

For a meal: Moishe's Steakhouse 3961 Blvd. St.Laurent
514-845-3509/514-845-1696
To shop: OLDgOLD Boutique 256 Mount-Royal Est 514-509-1675
For a date: Au cinquième péché 330 Mont Royal Est 

Best spot...if you're broke:

For a meal: Romados 115 Rachel Est 514-849-1803
To shop: OLDgOLD Boutique 256 Mount-Royal Est 514-509-1675
For a date: a rooftop with some brews

Others....

Best spot for a hangover breakfast: la binerie 367 Mont-Royal East
514-285-9078
Best live venue: club soda 1225 St.Laurent 514-286-1010
Best late night joint: the main 3523a St.Laurent 514-499-7098
or fameux 4500 rue St.Denis 514-845-8732or banquise 994 Rahcel E
514-525-2415
Best kept secret: wilensky's 34 Fairmount West
514-271-0247
Best spot to dance your ass off: panthere noir
Tourist Trap to avoid?: any clubs on crescent street
You'd have to live here to know: wilensky's 34 Fairmount West
514-271-0247
What NOT to miss?: wilensky's 34 Fairmount West 514-271-0247

This man knows where it's all at. And so do we! Follow him
around, here are the dates:
May 15   Ottawa @ The Babylon
May 16   Montreal @ Cabaret with DJ Orgasmic, Cuizinier and
Genevan Heathen 
June 6   Toronto @ The Drake with Peerpressure

Experience Thunderheist Pink Mafia styles.

By Natalie Lisa Johnson

Creativity and artistry, beautifully intertwined, making love to one another with the pulse of the crowd’s “Oh’s and awh’s” cheers and applause, that was the synergy at Toronto Alternative Fashion Week.

I had the opportunity to mix with the visionaries of tomorrow, work backstage with a costume genius, and I got face to face with Toronto’s Nina Arsenault.

“Sexy KKK”, Christabel Couture

The Distillery District has never felt this cool, it was the “It”, and Toronto’s art scene was unleashed. All the elements that collaborated to make it FAT, stimulated all the senses, it was sexy, avant-garde, with a bit of naughty and nice.

This year Vanja Vasic, Creative Director, decided to divvy up the event, “The focus this time is on a sense of space and surrounding. It is about awareness with a sense of being from all over the world.”

DJ Femme Normale kicked then night off with narly beats over tight verses, a perfect canvas for Day 1: Home, where the audience was fed a taste of vintage inspired collection and the exploration of feminine wiles in a more domesticated setting. Diepo’s lingerie screamed, “Take me right, here right now, but you better bring the champagne, ‘cause, diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” If it were financially possible, I could see Eartha Kitt singing C’est Si Bon!

Day 2, paid homage to Earth Day with Planet, where the theme was sustainable fashion and style. The evening was spearheaded by DJ Daniel Wilson, as ready to wear collections were showcased by Anika and the Paper People Clothing. It was all about the positive direction that fashion is going and the choices that we could make to save the planet, one responsibly dyed bamboo tee at a time.

Gutter came with absolute precision. Arline Malakian’s Black on Black was film noir for the 21^st Century as it made your imagination run. This evening showcased the rawness of street fashion, mixed with hot and a touch of alternative with Und and further talents like Youth in Asia and Kristy McKenzie. Beats provided by DJ Daniel Wilson and added musical stylings by Curtis Santiago and former eTalk host Anna Cyzon.

Backstage with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

By the final night, the word was out there for sure. The Distillery District hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in three days. By the first fashion show case, the place was jiving to a different groove. The energy seemed heightened and people were moving faster.

Yes, this is a man in frilly panties and me painting him red!

I was back stage playing right hand woman to Chris Cunningham of Christabel Couture. Looking at his rack of costumes, it still seemed like there was still so much that had to get done. 17 models to dress, 2 models to be covered in body paint from head to toe, one topless model whose nipples had to be diamond cutters when she hit the runway, and the fact that we were crazy enough to put model Biko on a dolly wearing a mermaid outfit, absolutely fucking priceless!

Chris Cunningham and I

Cunningham, was the last designer to show, but it still did not seem like enough time, maybe if I choose to use less body paint to smear across my models hairy tummy, I would have got to blowing up balloons much faster for Cunningham’s bubble skirts. But all the models were dressed, the nipple bra was dawned on male model number 3, and the stiletto boots were already broken in by male model number 4.

La piece de resistance was Nina Arsenault. Enter stage left and speechless was the crowd, as perfect as one can get after a $150 thousand dollar extreme sex change, inside and out, swapping out the motor investment. Dressed as the hottest marionette that I have ever seen, in a one piecer that did not leave much to the imagination; except for probably the most obvious, paired with a hoop skirt, literally. She had straight men yelling her name, confirming Arsenault’s comment in a previous interview that all the men that she was with did not know that she was once a man.

Grand Finale, Nina Arsenault

I asked Arsenault post all the adoration from fans, what she thought of her outfit, she said, “I love what I wearing.” Clearly Arsenault could have been anyone’s tada finale, but Arsenault trusts Cunningham, “I believe in him as an artist…Chris has a very particular vision that has motifs that run through his work, like the morphing of the body and highly structural things…hard forms and soft. And a lot of surrealism.”

Having just participated in Toronto LG Fashion Week, Arsenault compares the experience and says, “LG Fashion Week is so glamourous because Canadian celebrities show up and it is such a produced event, but the I also love Toronto Alternative Fashion Week because the clothes are a lot edgier…they do not have to have the same mass marketing.”

With regards to Toronto Alternative Fashion Week, Arsenault believes in what the event is achieving and what is will do for Canadian fashion, “FAT’s new, people are just checking it out and the media is just trying to grasp on it…when people see what’s coming down the runway it will be taken more and more seriously. I think it’s going to be an event like Fashion Cares where over ten years it just grew so much until it was a cultural phenomenon.”

From the collagen injected mouth of the Nina Arsenault, “If you didn’t attend FAT you missed out on really edgy fashion.”

I first discovered Vitamin Water when I took a roadtrip to the United States, and at that time none of the stores where I lived were carrying the product. The “Defense” flavor (raspberry + apple) was the first one I tried, and I remember being amazed at how good flavored water could taste. I brought 6 of those back home with me.

What’s great about Vitamin Water is that it isn’t like those sugary sodas that you love but are so bad for you, each flavor is loaded with vitamins – from the all important immune system boost that Vitamin C brings you, to Lutein (a carotenoid also found in spinach and kale) to Potassium.

With all the different flavors, you will definitely find one that you’ll love. Plus hey, I heard 50 Cent loves him some Vitamin Water.

I’m all the way in the Manitoba for a summer of fun. My first adventure out in Winnipeg city was a rap concert. I have a weakness for rap, all of it. The good, the bad, the white, the black I want it all. This may also have to do with the fact that I think gangsters are hot. So let me begin, Classified is hot.

Me and my dear friend made our way to The Pyramid around 10:30 to get our rap on. Three of our other friends missed out on the occasion because Ticketmaster said it was sold out, and  The Pyramid said they would not be selling any more tickets at the door. ALL LIES. The crowd was not full and they were selling tickets at the door. So lame. We got over missing our friends, and ordered a drink at the bar to begin to set the tone.

A Winnipeg local rap duo named Dead Indians took to the stage to pump us up. Unfortunately they didn’t. So we just waited around in anticipation for the real deal. A young man took to the stage next. Looking fresh in his white tall tee and LA hat. I say yay it’s Classified. My friend is convinced it’s not him. I’m mezmorised by his rap and dance hard to who I think is Classified. PHYSC it was Jake Boyd, Classified’s younger brother. Ahh yeah he set the tone for the night. The crowd really enjoyed him and everyone’s hand was up in the air! GANGSTA STYLE. After one more opening act Classified took to the stage. He raped for more than an hour. I’m impressed, my friend’s impressed, the crowds impressed. He brought the house down. He is evidently a skilled veteran with 11 albums under his belt. His most recent album, Self Explanatory is his first Major Label release put out with the support  of  Sony BMG. His new song, Is Anybody Listening?, is all over the radio in Winnipeg and I sang along line for line when he finally busted out his new hit single.

The crowd’s energy was high and Classified brought us even higher, literally and metaphorically. The glow from weed was thick in the air and Classified passed around a joint and swigged a couple beers. We were all celebrating his first Friday in Winnipeg together. The concert was a success and now I’m a bigger fan. But that doesn’t mean that the concert was easy to survive. Here is what you need to know if you plan to hit up any of his shows in Ontario or the East Coast.

Tip One: Smoke weed everyday (the whole crowd was high, you might as well join in.)

Tip Two:  Keep your eyes closed (the crowd was a group of people that I would never want to be caught dead hanging out with. I’m talking about boys in Billabong clothes, boys in backwards Billabong hats, girls in Billabong clothes, girls in frontwards Billabong hats. I wasn’t impressed. And standing around with all the biggest losers that you never talked to in high school is enough to make you kick someone. Here’s the truth I ended up kicking someone.)

Tip Three: Know the national anthem (Classified performed a remix version of Oh Canada. Gotta love Canadian pride)

Tip Four: Make out (People jumped on stage, crowd surfed and acted rowdy. But as soon as two girls got up on stage,  the boys started wanting female on female make-out. This is so lame, and makes me want Classified to grow up. )

All in all I enjoyed myself. And will continue to pretend that i’m a rap superstar diva until i’m too old to keep pretending. I think Classified could be huge in the Canadian rap scene, but he REALLY REALLy needs to get a new type of fan. They were bad enough to make me not want to go to another Classified show.

Our boy Egyptrixx is on a Eurotour till June 5th and we asked him to tour diary for us.

Here’s the thing about him, he’s not just a shit hot DJ, he’s also a learned man who can write a line or two

So enjoy the shit out of this tour diary, cause lord knows we will. Check his Myspace to see the rest of them dates too.

BERLIN:

When you’re on tour its all about the simple pleasures and small victories. About 8 hours ago, I was still at the Ostbahnhof train station in Berlin where I found a pharmacy with one last set of nailclippers – I’d been looking for a pair for 4 days because long nails drive me absolutely fucking crazy. So I bought them and went to trim in the bathroom – where apparently there was more than just defecation and cuticle hygiene on tap as a fairly sporting episode of gay fucking had broken out in the stall right next to me. Moan, moan, moan, bang, bang, bang, clip, clip. No big deal though, the satisfaction of freshly clipped nails heavily out weighed the vulgarity of slurping noises and Deutsche dirty talk.

So far the tour has been going well. I left for London almost immediately after the Buraka Som Sistema gig at El month (In Toronto) last week, which – if you missed – was amazing; I was excited to open for them -I flew to London almost immediately after the show where the Z-Shed crew picked me up and started stuffing my face with greasy English breakfast and beer. The show that night was fun; it was good to do a gig with Mikix The Cat and Baobinga, both excellent producers and djs. After a quick nap I headed to Berlin – one of my favourtie European cities for its its history, love of the avant garde and permanent state of semi-lawlessness. In fact, when I got to my hotel, city workers were still cleaning up a bunch of totalled cars out front which had been destroyed in the may day riots just a few hours earlier. My gig in Berlin was a showcase for the new Nightshifters label out of NYC. Ill be doing some stuff for them in the next little while. AC Slater, Bok Bok, Jess Jubilee, Donna Summer and I were all on the bill and Peaches, Kid 606 and Dolby Anol all stopped by to hang out. The gig got predictably out of control and afterwards we all went to Panorama Bar - the legendary warehouse club in Berlin’s East side – and partied untill noon. Next stop is Poland then back to the UK. I will check back with you laterrrrr