THURSDAY 17
If you’re looking for some laughs tonight, check out the city’s indie Rock Bottom Comedy Night at Barfly (4062 St-Laurent) with funnyman host George Hamilton Braithwaite and guest Robby Hoffman. Showtime: 10 p.m. (This is a pay-what-you-can event.) Over at the DHC/ART gallery (451 and 465 St-Jean, corner Notre-Dame, in Old Montreal), the new exhibit featuring the minimalist-conceptualist amalgams of Pakistani-born, London-raised and Berlin-based Ceal Floyer open this week. Runs until May 16.
FRIDAY 18
Check out the launch of Litlive.ca, the first web magazine to document and review the spoken word scene across this country, featuring music, poetry and vibe from the Kalmunity Vibe Collective, Alexis O’Hara, Catherine Kidd and others, at Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) at 9 p.m. (pay what you can). Meanwhile, The {Warehouse} Magazine hosts a fundraiser at Java U Café (4065 St-Denis) to benefit an education program for girls in Ethiopia. Come get a copy of the latest issue, a gift bag (while supplies last), meet the staff and get a taste of who and what they are (7-10 pm.). Finally, Faggity Ass Fridays hosts it’s Masturgaytion Party at The Playhouse (5656 Parc Ave.) to benefit the Sense Project ($10).
SATURDAY 19
Black History Month events today include the Jireh Gospel Choir performing for free at Maison de la Culture Frontenac (2550 Ontario E.), Georgia jazz star and former Hour covergirl Lizz Wright ($37) headlining L’Astral (305 Ste-Cat W.) and Montreal funkman Slim Williams performing at Le Piano Rouge (22 Saint-Paul E.) in Old Montreal ($10). Up on The Main, Mec Ultra Plus – the ever-popular bi-monthly gay event outside the Village – presents its Pleasure Ground edition at Le Belmont (4483 St-Laurent). And opera star Marie-Josée Lord headlines Théâtre Maisonneuve as part of the High Lights Festival.
SUNDAY 20
So you are destined to be the next Harold Robbins, Maya Angelou or Yann Martel? Then check out The Writing Life: Dream or Delusion? workshop at Bain St-Michel (5300 St-Dominique), a roundtable discussion featuring Canada Reads winner Nicolas Dickner, literary journalist Noah Richler and host, Rover publisher Marianne Ackerman (5-7 p.m.). Pay what you can. Over at Place des Arts, French singer and longtime Johnny Depp partner Vanessa Paradis headlines Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts.
MONDAY 21
The 29th annual Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois film festival continues until Feb. 17. Highlights include two NFB films: Isabelle Longtin’s Le Plan (The Downtown Project), which takes us inside Quebec’s largest public housing complex, the Habitations Jeanne-Mance, and tomorrow night (Feb. 22), Les Fros (The Lumberfros), director Stéphanie Lanthier’s doc about workers of all ages and nationalities trekking north to fell timber in Abitibi’s boreal forest. Surf to www.rvcq.com/festival-29e for times and theatres.
TUESDAY 22
Black History Month continues with the English-language The History of Black Civilization workshop at the Association des jeunes de la Petite Bourgogne (852 Saint-Martin, in Little Burgundy), from 5 to 7 p.m.. Over at Cinèma du Parc (3575 Parc), check out Dogtooth, the hit Greek film that’s nominated for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Oscars (which will be held Feb. 27). Dogtooth is a critically hailed comedy about a Greek couple trying to protect their three children from the corrupting influence of the outside world. Except the children cannot remain innocent forever ($11.50).
WEDNESDAY 23
In honour of Black History Month, the ever-popular Grindhouse Wednesdays presents 1970s blaxploitation pin-up Pam Grier starring in Jack Hill’s classic film Coffy at the Rialto Theatre (5723 Parc): "The baddest One Chick Hit Squad that ever hit town." While no longer at Cinèma L’Amour on the Main, Grindhouse Wednesdays still draws big fun crowds, and tonight’s fun lineup also includes the rock band Slut Drive and DJ Sarcastic. Doors open at 8 p.m., the film starts at 9:30 p.m. ($10). Over at Librairie Olivieri (5219 Côte-des-Neiges), acclaimed African-Canadian author Lawrence Hill will be present to launch Aminata, the French-language translation of his best-selling novel, The Book of Negroes. From 6 to 8 p.m. Reservations required: 514-739-3639.
2 comments
his past Sunday’s Heritage Classic was truly anything but. While I understand the nostalgic yesteryear appeal of a game played outdoors (who hasn’t played pick-up hockey at a local outdoor rink?), but the crappy ice and a lackluster and ineffectual effort on the part of Habs made it anything but memorable. Still it could’ve been worse, you could’ve been there (say goodbye to a couple of grand in airfare) with the best seats at least 50 feet away from the rink, freezing cold, 2000$ poorer to watch a less than priceless spectacle.
“Not Priceless” – oh yea of little faith! Sure it was a sad thing to see the Habs go down to defeat but I wouldn’t pin it on Price. Moreover, the Heritage Classic is a showcase, a throwback to the good ole days of shinny hockey albeit on an impressively grandiose scale, designed to showcase the game far and wide and, as such, is a truly invaluable marketing too (not to mention an impressively nostalgic celebration of the game). Not only that naysayers, Price was first star a few nights back as Montreal edged the Canucks 3-2 in front of 40+ of Price’s family and friends, as the Habs stole a game from league-leading Vancouver largely on the strength of his goal-tending heroics.