OMG!!! I’m sure y’all have heard by now… Michael Jackson the King of Pop died yesterday at the age of 50. Honestly, I kno that everyone around the world is feelin’ this one to the bottom of their hearts; even my Grandma was like MJ? say it isn’t so!!! No matter what corner of the world your in or from, I guarantee at one point in your life you attempted the Moon Walk, the spin and the conveted crotch grab… be honest.

I kno a couple of you even rocked the one glove and mini leather jacket (my brother did one year for halloween!!) Sooo, all I ask of my peeps is just to take a moment of silence for the one who taught us how to be A SMOOTH CRIMINAL while being so BAD it was THRILLER. And BTW,  BILLIE JEAN is not my lover… I’m all about DIRTY DIANA, who won’t give me ONE MORE CHANCE!!

From the Jackson Five to the Jacksons to MJ in his prime (even after the accident) and court cases, NO MATTER what we had his back!! I’m blasting his number ones album as we speak.. and ya know I can’t lie, a few tears fell on the keyboard.

Its a sad day :(…  not just in music but in HISTORY!!! We just wanna say from the bottom our PINK hearts… MJ “I CAN”T STOP LOVING YOU” because YOU ROCK MY WORLD!!!!

Michael Jackson aka THE KING OF POP (Aug. 28th, 1958- June 25th, 2oo9)

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                   Pinkie

Sunday afternoon, morning for me… you know what that means Luminato is comin to an end, I kno sooo SAD!! It bein’ the last day… it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t save the best for last. Believe me my peeps it wasn’t easy scoring the hottest tickets in town, Carmen & Skin Divers performed by the National Ballet of Canada at the Four Season Centre for the Performing Arts, and no word of a lie it was seriously like the day before that I got the go ahead for press passes… and they gave me two, they really like me. Honestly, if it wasnt for my new BFF Catherine Chang the National Ballet PR guru it wouldn’t be possible, and trust me I’m sooo glad she was able to make it happen. So, I’m super excited I can’t even breathe  and I haven’t been to the ballet since Karen Kain was a princple dancer… I know forever. Ok, the inside scoop on the day is ticketholders get a special lil treat before the actual show… of course you know I can’t miss that!! So, I guess you guys wanna know whats soo special that I’m actually early… its a Flamenco Performance by the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company. I know.. how wicked-awesome does that sound!?! I was only like 10 mins late and technically I was only late for treat not the actual show… for real. So I’m takin’ in the spectular venue,  the design of the Four Seasons is sick! My ears peak  when I hear the Flamenco musicians are on stage.. I’m a sucka for a Spanish guitar. I dash up the stairs in my 6inch stillettos hopin’ not to miss a beat… I get to the top of the stairs but no dancers yet. I was relieved ’cause I definitely don’t wanna miss them. The strings of the guitar was captivating, but I’m still waitin’ on the dancers… and still waitin’, ok no dancers. I’m a little bummed ’cause I saw no flamenco dancers at all, and I was sooo lookin’ forward to it… I highly doubt I missed them in the 10mins I was late, but it is possible.

People began to disperse headin’ to their seats not wanting to miss a moment of the performance… as they hustle I noticed a trend, one I wish I never did!!! And I soooo have to comment on it, because its absolutely audacious… if your goin’ to the ballet  PLEASE dress appropriately. In case you don’t know what I mean… Imma break it down and give you the 411 on dress etiquette for the theatre, yes I’m goin there. First, foot wear… should not be of the rubber variety therefore no FLIP-FLOPS and if you have to wear sneakers please make sure the soles are intact & the laces aren’t draggin’. I’m sorry it had to be said!!! Next, clothin’… no daisy dukes, hot pants, cut-out no back shirts its not a freakin’ CLUB ladies its the ballet; jeans if you dare must have no tears, holes, and outlandish wash/bleachin’ patterns keep it clean & dark. The number of fashion violations and faux pas had my head spinnin’… I’m goin’ to be insisting that the Four Season has ROAR (Right of Admission Refusal) in full effect. Yes, my peeps you would be surprised what I saw in regards to outfits… and you kno, I can’t lead the people wrong soo I had to drop a lil knowledge for future reference. Sorry, I went off on a tagent… ok focused, the ballet… The lights dim the curtain rises we enter the world of choreographer Dominique Dumais’ Skin Divers, inspired by Anne Michaels’ dazzling book of poetry of the same name. The piece was innovative, fusing both spoken word and visual projections to highlight the choreographer… I mean the visuals were jawdroppin’ the images of the human body reflected as the dancers conveyed “the body as a living archive of experience, or a museum of memory”. Simply breathtakin’ like the poems themselves!! A quick change of set and of course what we’ve all been waitin’ for, Carmen. I’m sure like myself a lot of you have seen or heard of a million versions of the story Carmen… but this folks is said to be the number one stunna. This “groundbreaking, genre-bending re-conceptualization” of Carmen is created by the titillating Italian choreographer David Bombana, and peeps from the sensuous openin’ number from Tina Pereira as Carmen to my new love Piotr Stanczyi as Don José, this interpretation  proved to be modern and provocative… illuminating the pain, despair and violence that is pronounced in human relationships, while reminding us of the primal passion of  love which is the essence of the story. I can’t say enough the performance was tantalizing, intoxticating… to be honest the scene where Carmen is dyin’ in Don José arms OMG!!! can we say meltin’. WOW!!! hands down this is the best adapation of the Bizet opera out there… if I said it, you kno I meant it! Sorry just tryin’ to catch my breath still feelin’ a lil hot and bothered from Carmen… Honestly, folks I think I’m goin’ to have to get season tickets to the ballet (ballin’, yea right)!  No, on the real though… if this is what the National Ballet of Canada is sellin’… I’m buyin!!!

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                           Pinkie

TGIF!! Like it makes any difference to me… we all know  my week is more like a mish mash of a weekend. With that said… I’m slowin’ it down tonite goin’ to MacMillan Theatre to take in Nederlands Dans Theatre. These guys I kno’… and trust me when I say they’re the SHIT!! And we in the T.O. have been missing them for like 14 yrs… yea, I know that long. And of course it wouldn’t be me if I arrived on time…but this time bein’ fashionable late was like 30 seconds. So get this… I’m literally like a minute late, I get to box office line which is a mess filled with people tryna hustle a ticket for the show and the guy no word of lie has my ticket in his hand ready to give it away cause of my tardiness!!! I kno WTF…and ooo it gets better. Cause of  my EXTREME lateness (pardon the sarcasm) I had to miss the entire first piece, which of course was the BEST part. So let me break it down… I miss the first dance number which is like a half-hour and that’s followed by a half-hour intermission…do the MATH, thats an hour right there- NOT COOL!! BTW, I had a lil crew of other disgruntled peeps who like myself were milliseconds late. What blows the most is the usher was like FYI “Shoot the Moon” the piece your missing is my FAVE… Ooo really thanks for lettin’ me kno, FAK! And that was confirmed by the wonderful people I met at intermission… fashion designer Rosemarie Umetsu and Joanne, a previous employee within the Cirque du Soleil Heirarchy (ya kno how we do). Everyone said the piece was astounding… Lightfoot Leon’s ”Shoot the Moon”, was dance combined with video projection and an extraordinary rotating set. Apparently it was a pretty steamy opening… a window into the anguish of a love triangle..you can imagine how impressed I am. The next piece (my first) is choreographed by Jirí Kylián- who is insane!! And this creation “Wings of Wax” is no different.  The striking image of an inverted tree hangs over hauntingly beautiful while a lone light orbits the stage… can we say symbolic. Upon deeper thought, the notion the stage is sky as the dancers flutter and float like birds in the sky… Awww, this one I LOVED!!

But the one we’ve all been talkin’ about at intermission was “Second Person” done by a homegrown fave Crystal Pite. I was shocked when the curtains lifted and I saw the number of dancers that littered the stage, what peaked my attention was the wooden puppet. Whom after further brain activity I concluded symbolized the relationship between the individual and society. But to be honest this was a bit too deep, even for me!! With that said.. I enjoyed the performances immensely! It was a breathtaking experience. Nonetheless, I still am kinda pissed!!!

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                   Pinkie

Wednesday nite… No rest for wicked!!! Luminato is keepin me slim and trim…Runnin’ all over the DT core… I jus hustled from Yonge-Dundas Sq over to Buddies in Bad Theatre, courtesy of the foot express. As we all kno I’m always puntucal and this time I’m only like 7 mins late..Not too bad took me less than 15 for the walk… Ok, so I’ll admit cabaret not my cup of tea, but I figure its Luminato what the hey… And Edgar Allen Poe  has been one of my faves since I was like 12. The Raven- don’t even get me started on that. Ok, soo from what I have gathered A Dream within A Dream is exactly what it says, it’s composed of four separate performances that are the dreams within a dream… If that makes sense. The first tidbit was A Dream Within A Dream and other short stories performed by Mike Ross and Patricia O’Callaghan… I can’t tell a lie, I missed the better part of this act and I believe that was crucial I was kinda lost to be honest. Now the next dream, a musical monologue  drawn from The Tell-Tale Heart… once again kinda lost. But from the dots I was able to connect it brought the feelin of pain, grief and despair which were all evident in the story we know. Can I be honest with my peeps …the only dream that had me was the Raven. The reading by Tom Allen was brillant… being a true Poe fan and this being my fave poem it couldn’t get any better.

Honestly, the best part for me was the music… The Penederecki String Quartet was $%?&in’ sick. I can’t lie I had to pick my jaw up off the floor a couple of times when they really tore those strings up..I might have to download a few tracks or even cop their new CD.

And OMG!!… the Harpist Lori Gemmell, ’cause of her I decided that being a harpist is my new callin’. No for real this chick is bad ass even Feist is on her ish… Her fingers glide on those strings like skates on ice. I can’t say enough about the music, it conveyed the whole concept of the production from the eerie strings to the skin crawlin whisper of the harp… Its official I’ve been converted to a true string fan. Ok, so its fair to say peeps that the Cabaret is still not my cup tea… but I certainly did enjoy the experience.

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pinkie

It’s Saturday nite, the weather is wonderful… I’m gettin pretty for a nite on the town. Tonite I’m off to the Fleck Dance Theatre, you heard correct the theatre… I am rather cultured FYI. I’ll be taking in Tono part of the Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts & Creativity. Of course I arrive fashionable late as usual… But I was late for good reason, I was doin’ some homework on this production. And doin’ homework actually paid off.!! Ya kno’ I’m all ’bout the inside scoop and here it is folks… Word is that Tono was commissioned by The Banff Centre and Luminato, and FYI Tono actually performed at the Beijing Olympics. Sandra Laronde who conceived Tono is the Artistic Director for Red Sky Perfomance based out of T.O  who’s vision is to shape indigenous performance and promote cultural vibrancy… she doesn’t stop there folks, also on her resume is acting, dancing, producing and directing. But Sandra can’t take all the credit she had some help from fellow choreograper Roger Sinsha who is also a dancer and Artistic Director of Sinsha Danse out of MTL.

Once seated  the audience was treated to a few brief words by the creator herself… We learned that  Tono is loosely translated from Monogolia meaning the gateway to the world. She elaborates to us about her ”deep, creative process” and the variety of Indigenous people from Monogolia, China and Canada that were involved in this production. OMG!!! How could I forget her shout out the Ambassador of Monoglia who was actually in the building… who by the was soo nice, he let me get camera happy with him and his crew.

The opening of the show is breathtaking, with a sole figure in the centre of the stage who begins to maneuver, contort and manipulate her body in ways one could only dream of.  This lone soul is suddenly accompanied by a  troop of others who through their movement convey the stampede of a horse. Honestly, all the dancers were amazing !!! And don’t get me started on the musicians, Rick Sacks composed the tunes and on the real if it wasn’t for him the audience would not get the full impact of every foot stomp, wrist movement or leg motion. So you may think this isn’t your cup of tea… But the performers did a phenomenal job of  illustrating the majesty of the horse and the belief in shamanism while also opening our eyes to the birth of twins. Ya kno I can’t lie to my peeps… So can I say I was blown-away by Tono not exactly… but by far it wasn’t the bottom of the bucket. You kno what it  is… I hyped myself waaaaay too much and I think thats why I was a lil disappointed. But don’t get it twisted I definitely recommend it!!

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                     Pinkie

Luminato is still in full effect peeps, which means I’m runnin’ around like a chicken with its head cut off…  it’s Monday and I’m headin’ to an abandoned warehouse to see The Children’s Crusade. Ya heard correct an abandoned warehouse is the venue where the Canadian Children’s Opera  Company is choosing to showcase the world-premiere of their opera.  Reasons like this is why Luminato is off the chain!!! I’m on the Dufferin bus heading towards the Ex, I figure I might as well use my time wisely, you know do some reading about this opera. Apparently, it’s no run of the mill production. It was commissioned from composer R. Murray Schafer in celebration of his 75th birthday. The Children’s Crusade is based on the phenomenal passage of the 13th century where hundreds of thousands of children from France and Germany were dedicated to liberating the Holy Land with love  instead of force. WOW!! Power to the kids…we can’t even get kids to play nice on the schoolyard much less crusade. As soon as I dropped the press release in my purse I realized I’m sailing by my stop, the bus driver was nice enough to stop dead so I could hop out. And of course you know I’m always fashionable late… hehe. I arrive like literally five minutes late, and of course I have to miss the whole first scene… yea kinda pissed. But I didn’t miss much just the Holy Child getting his divine intervention from an angel . Nonetheless, it gave me a second to take in the space, first off they weren’t lying when they said “abandoned”, It was for real like straight flash back to the yester-years of good ol’ warehouse parties. Finally the garage door gets raised with chains, I’m allowed entrance into a whole new world… I’m speechless and you know that rarely happens. You enter the space which is the stage itself… I mean the warehouse was filled with rafters, runways, wooden crates all of theses elements formed an outlandish set. Before I could completely wrap my head around things, my eyes dart to the center stage where a swarm of children are in full chorus about some kid being the Holy Child. Its pretty jaw dropping. No word of a lie the cast has over a hundred people and believe me they need it to pull of a production like this. The audience is standing the whole time “God Bless Nike makes flats” and we move around the set following the cast on their  journey from one scene to other using the entire warehouse… As we follow the Holy Child and his crew around the streets & byways of France we feel as we are joining the crusade… I ((heart)) the modern twist and interpretation of the story which is quite refreshing especially the scene in the burlesque lounge with all the vices and temptations surrounding this Holy Child. As the crusaders come to the end of their journey they are met by massive walls of wave that they know will lead to there demise and surely signify the failure of there crusade. This had to be my favourite part… OMG, to represent the waves they literally used other cast members… it was so wicked when the Holy Child and his crew entered the waves they we physically pulled down down into the abyss. WOW!!! that totally exceeded my expectations, not that I had any. To be honest The Children’s Crusade is up there as one of my over all faves of Luminato… reason being its what the festival is all about. Not to mention, this production as lead me on a crusade to be a avid opera goer, you know I gotta change up on ya… LOL!!!

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                       Pinkie

Hey, hey, hey!!!… It’s Saturday night of course you know what that means I’m workin’ hard and playin’ even harder. Now peeps you know I’ve been changin’ it up on ya with this Luminato Festival… it’s soo INSANE!  No worries, y’all will get the 411 ASAP. So you know how we do @ PM, we only $%&* with the BADDEST BITCHES… tonight is no different cause its all about  BIF NAKED @ the Mod Club. I know, I know you can’t breathe either. Of course I’m in a rush as usual, like I’m literally breakin’ my neck leavin’  a Luminato event to make the show tonight… Ooops double-booked, who wouldn’t its BIF NAKED! I finally fly off the College streetcar and almost lose my life to a black VW as I J-walk across the street. I made it just in time to catch the endin’ of the Manvils… I’m totally pissed at myself for missin’ their set which I heard was an astounding STRANGE DISASTER… But, after teasin’ my ears for only a momento they sure tickled my HOLLOW HANDS into downloadin’ a few tracks when I got home. Speakin of home… the bar bein’ my next home looks kinda lonely so I head on over where I open the hatch and down a piss warm Canadian… FAK, that tasted like ass. As soon as I place my bottle on the bar I hear some chick say OMG!!!! Bif’s rite there by the door… two secs later fushica, purple, & turquoise lights begin to flood the stage then a light South Asian instrumental diffuses in the background. The band enters the stage and assumes there rightful position, followin them is Bif dressed in all black like an omen… OMG!!! Her black cowboy boots are mega-bitchin’, I sooo couldn’t pull that off. Honestly, the whole crowd is goin NUTS myself included, I was screamin’ so hard I couldn’t breathe… the truth is I saw stars accompanied by a slight head rush, I know LOSER! Then out of nowhere the guitars and drums hit. Bif Naked started bustin’ a move all over the stage, I damn near thought she was a Spaceman ’bout to fly to cloud 9… Ooo that was me flyin’ like a Bluejay. It was surreal!!! I mean I was literally sooo close to her I grazed her hand and yes it will never see water again, LOL!! And boy does she know how to work a crowd… her interaction with us was phenomenal, I felt like we were  BFF’s and you knos Nothing Else Matters. She took us on a trip down memory lane to reminisce bout her first time playin the T.O. in same basement of  the Mod Club, back in the day it was the Apocalypse if memory serves me correct. Not to mention she has a heart of gold under that Fuck You 2 exterior… betcha didn’t know she sponsors a World Vision child, I know a tear jerker. ..Wooo, don’t get it twisted that wasn’t a Moment of Weakness, I was still jumpin my ass off and beltin out every tune word for word like a BIG nerd… And, OMG that guitarist Jason-  his fingers must be of the mutant variety. Then it hit, I felt the gloom of the set endin, the time for her to say Ciao Bella… before she did, she asked us ” Do you Love Yourself Today?”And we all have to be honest with ourselves and admit sometimes we don’t… but after this I swear I do!!! So thanks for remindin’ us to Love ourselves  Today, but most importantly kno’ that we LOVE U!!

Peace Out,                                                                                                                                                                                          Pinkie

P.S. MY BAD PEEPS FOR THE LACK OF PICS… A LIL BIRDIE TOLD ME CAMERAS WERE PROHIBITED IN THE VENUE… AND OF COURSE TO MY SURPRISE WHEN THE WHOLE CROWD HAD CAMERAS!!! NEEDLESS TO SAY, I’M STILL A LIL PISSED…

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.”