This is an awesome movie, and is equally as good as the musical-- and the musical was based on a film back in 1988.

Whoa, that was confusing. Basically, Hairspray was a movie that turned into a musical. Because the musical was such a hit, it was adapted to a movie using the same hit broadway songs.

If you like seeing highly coordinated and energetic dancing, this is your kind of movie. Set in the 1960's, the movie focusses on a vibrant and volumptuous teenage girl, Tracy Turnblad, who has a passion to dance, and lands a spot in a hit dance show "The Corny Collins Show." It is during her experiences on that show that tested the generation's changing tolerance for people that are viewed less than 'ideal'.

This movie will definitely put a smile to your face. Even if you don't like dancing-on-prozac, which this movie features a lot of, you'll definitely get a kick out of John Travolta as Tracy Turnblad's mother. He plays the part so well.

Also, if you have a knack for architecture, you will quickly notice that the movie was filmed in Toronto. According to the Star, the producers chose to film here because we are one of only a few North American cities that still have streetcar infrastructure. Baltimore, where the film is intended to portray, had its lines disbanded. You can check out the Star's images related to the Toronto-to-Baltimore transformation.

Hairspray - [wikipedia.org]
T.O. shows its inner Baltimore - [thestar.com]

Christopher Hume says its time for Toronto to get angry, and I wholeheartedly agree with him.

A few days ago, Toronto City Council voted to defer the decision on the controversal land transfer tax and vehicle registration fee. While this proposed tax, one of Toronto's new taxing powers from the new City of Toronto Act, has made city residents understandably worked up. I have supported its implementation (with a few groans) because I feel that the city truly needs this to preserve and improve the very services that residents rightly demand.

When it comes down to it, provincial and federal governments have continued to neglect Toronto. Since my interest is in transit, I will just speak within that realm. The fact is, we have all heard time and time again that the TTC has the highest cost-recovery ratio in all other transit authorities in North America-- where over 80% of all operating expenses are covered by farebox revenues. Due to the massive cuts made during the Harris regime, TTC has and continues to make due with less. If you recall back in 1996, the provincial cutbacks triggered massive cutbacks to service, labour, and plant and equipment. I came across the Service Changes for Februrary 1996 as a result of the massive cutbacks, and I strongly urge you take a look this page to fully grasp the severity of these service reductions during this dark period for Toronto transit.

TTC has come a long way since then and while it is amazing to see the surge of ridership (estimated 454 million in 2007) on the TTC system, we still have not reached the 463.5 million record in 1988. Think about it, during this time span, Toronto has grown by about 400,000 people, and the GTA grew about 1.7 million people, and only now has ridership reached close to 1988 levels. On another note, while our ridership will soon eclipse the previous 1988 record, TTC still continues to operate with much fewer buses, operators and maintenance staff.

Now we understand that perhaps drastic service cuts need to be made. Adam Giambrone stated that the closure of the Sheppard Subway, the elimination of 21 surface routes, and a 25-cent fare increase, may be necessary to balance the books.

While these proposed cuts are seen as "worst case scenario" and it is not likely that TTC would have to replicate the events in February 1996, I believe that some cuts are imminent. While we have heard so much exciting news recently related to GTA transit, I am extremely turned off that such service reductions have to take place-- service reductions which are planned at time when we already experience massive overcrowding on our network.

This is desperate times for Toronto, and like Hume said, it's time to get furious. It's time for all of us to put pressure especially on the provincial government to either provide Toronto long-term funding for the social services-- the very services were downloaded by provincial government for the city to provide-- or to simply upload them back! Big cities naturally attracts, in greater proportions, social issues, like homelessness for instance, and it's not fair that Toronto must solely address these issues. Homelessness is a provincial issue, requiring provincial support.

I went on a bit of a tangent, but to sum up, Toronto requires money if it wishes to maintain competitiveness and quality of life. On that note, let's all be a little angrier and let our policians know, and let's build a city to be admired for a change!

Emergency TTC Meeting re Budget Cuts - [stevemunro.ca]
TTC proposed fare hike, subway shutdown - [globeandmail.com]
Cuts, fare hikes menace TTC - [thestar.com]
No More Sheppard Subway??!! - [blogto.com]
Time for Toronto to get angry - [thestar.com]
Miller orders spending cuts - [thestar.com]

For some odd reason, I find myself craving television on Tuesday nights. Not because there is anything good on, but just because it's often my laziest day.

This summer, I have been back in the Canadian Idol habit, but not anymore. Last week, Canada voted to eliminate the only two interesting artists in the competition, namely Liam Styles Chang and Tyler Mullendore. Liam is the cute half-Asian emo kid with a strong voice who would've rocked the pop-punk teen market, something we can never have enough of. Tyler is they guy on crack who always has very wild and eccentric performances.

But oddly enough, these are two who had to go. I figure that because the judges praised their performances, fans weren't as committed to continue dialing and vote. I was totally confident that they both would be there in the long haul. But of course, voting on Canadian Idol, or American Idol, was never really based on talent. Perhaps I shouldn't have the right to speak, since I personally have never successfully entered a vote on Canadian Idol. Sure I've tried in the past, but the lines are constantly busy, plus I refuse to spend money to text in my vote. They're not that good.

Sure I can't complain, but I can show my disappointment-- especially since I think Liam and Tyler both have what it takes to be a star. What I will do is spread the word. I like Liam Styles Chang and Tyler Mullendore, and I hope others in the web feel the same. (So Google spiders, work your magic!), From there, maybe a music industry official will check out my site and may be more inclined to sign these two talented artists.

I hope this just isn't wishful thinking.

Check out some great performances from these two fellas:
Liam Styles Chang - This Magic Moment - [youtube.com]
Liam Styles Chang - Over My Head - [youtube.com]
Liam Styles Chang - Shes So High - [youtube.com]
Liam Styles Chang returns to Victoria - [youtube.com]
Liam Styles Chang audition - [youtube.com]
Tyler Mullendore - Have A Little Faith - [youtube.com]
Tyler Mullendore - Rock 'n Me - [youtube.com]
Tyler Mullendore - Brown Sugar - [youtube.com]

Other links:
Liam Styles Chang profile - [idol.ctv.ca]
Tyler Mullendore - [idol.ctv.ca]

Radiant City is a very boring film.

This intentionally one-sided 'documentary' discussed all the pitfalls of suburban development, and features a number of suburban residents in the sprawling Calgary metro area.

This dicussed almost evething that is bad about the suburbs: inactive lifestyles and obesity, incomplete communities, dull urban design and architecture, environmental consequences, poor transit access-- all of which we have been spoonfed to us in university.

All of this is fine, I suppose, but the biggest flaw about this movie is that the characters seriously do not properly express the views of the general suburban community. The fact is, most people who chose to live in the suburbs actually like suburbia! The children are the exception, since they had to live there by default. The 'documentary' subjects all seem to have a notion that they all bought into something they regret, which I think is a false claim.

Spoiler alert. I am going to steal Ram's idea and black it out. The most absurd part of this movie was the end. We discover that the documentary wasn't really a documentary at all, and that the film was scripted just to prove a point.

What the fuck? I feel ripped off! Then what is the value of this film? In retrospect though, I think I would've enjoyed the movie more had I known that it was fiction. I would've have taken it more lightly. But now I feel confused, since I'm not sure if the film now warrants my rage. Do you know what I feel like? I feel as if someone someone told me something very offensive, but at the end, s/he takes it all back by telling me it was all a joke.

The movie can be summed up with two words: what the...?

I think Calgary's suburbs look even more sterile than those in the GTA. I think it's the fact that there are no trees.

Radiant City official site - [radiantcitymovie.com]
Radiant City - [imdb.com]