Justin Bieber is on the cover of Forbes magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Celebrities issue, and he is 18 years old. The Biebz earned $55 million last year from music sales, performances and endorsements, which means he ranks third on this year’s list. He was beat out for top honours by Oprah Winfrey (second) and Jennifer Lopez (first), who have been adults for more than 78 days.
The comprehensive index of every blog post, magazine story and restaurant review that appears on Torontolife.com
All stories by Kevin Naulls
Local artist Shogo Okada wins top prize at national printmaking competition
Shogo Okada’s winning piece
Printmaking centre Open Studio held its fifth annual National Printmaking Awards last night at Palais Royale, and finishing in first place was Toronto artist and bike trick enthusiast Shogo Okada for his colourful work Relationship Between Colour and Shape SH and SM (see above). Another local artist, Daryl Vocat, received an honourable mention for his piece Leaf; Reaching. Two finalists were from Toronto—does this mean this city is becoming a hub for professional printmaking? Check out all of the finalists—some of Canada’s most talented printmakers—in our gallery after the jump »
Jeremy Laing on Toronto’s fashion scene: there’s no money here
In a recent interview with I-D magazine, Toronto-based designer Jeremy Laing revealed his feelings about the state of Toronto fashion: there’s no money here, and that’s why young talent is leaving, he says. While Laing may have clients in Paris, Dallas, New York and elsewhere, he still calls Toronto his home base, because he likes to “[drop] in and then [peace] out” of international markets—he’s got a husband to come home to, and episodes of Ru Paul’s Drag Race to watch. (Aw, bless.) Laing also mentions that he’d like to start working on a menswear collection in the next five years. We think dudes could totally pull off bleached velvet. Read the entire story [I-D] »
Jake Gyllenhaal is in Toronto, and here’s where he’s been so far
(Image: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)
Did you know that Jake Gyllenhaal is in Toronto? He’ll be here to work on Denis Villeneuve’s film An Enemy from May 22 to July 13, but he arrived earlier than his expected call time and has already been spotted across the city. Gyllenhaal was out eating at Hiro Sushi in the St. Lawrence Market area last night, and just the sight of him is sending girls into a frenzy (okay, so far we can count one girl, but still). There’s also a rumour that Gyllenhaal will be staying at Toronto’s Thompson Hotel. We’ll be sure to keep a lookout for him taking his morning run.
A Stephen Harper nude surfaces on the Internet
Painter Margaret Sutherland made waves on the Internet last night with one of her latest paintings: a nude portrait of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The work, which we presume the Prime Minister did not sit for, used to hang on the walls of the Edward Day Gallery in Toronto, but is now dressing a wall in a library in Kingston (where the artist currently resides). In the 60-foot five foot oil-on-canvas painting, Harper is casually lounging in a state of undress. Salient features include the artist’s rendering of his nether regions, a woman serving the politician a Tim Hortons coffee and what appears to be a terrier of some sort. Fans of Canadiana-themed home decor will want to add this to their Pinterest board post-haste. For the full uncensored version, click here.
(Image: Margaret Sutherland, Emperor Haute Couture, 2011. Oil on canvas.)
Can transgendered Miss Universe Canada contestant Jenna Talackova take the crown?
Jenna Talackova (Image: Fadil Berisha)
As the first-ever transgendered contestant at the Miss Universe Canada pageant, Jenna Talackova is getting a lot of attention. The striking blonde was spotted during a media blitz at the Eaton Centre this week, taking in Victoria’s Secret’s wall of lace thongs—the finalists are in town for the big pageant that begins tonight, and were rewarded with a shopping spree. Talackova recently told The Canadian Press, “I’ve set a precedent for a lot of women in my situation, so once I step on that stage, every woman in every other country that doesn’t have the option I have now can fight for it. I feel so blessed with this opportunity.” She’s clearly got a lot of fight in her, but will this be the year for a transgendered Miss Universe Canada? The competition starts tonight at 8 p.m. at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Check out Talackova’s competition in our Miss Universe Canada gallery »
Sarah Gadon has sipped the Cronenberg Kool-Aid—and she likes it
Sarah Gadon (left) (Image: Erin Simkin)
Sarah Gadon is on fire: her breakout role was in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, and she followed that up with David’s Cosmopolis and Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral (the latter two are debuting at the Cannes Film Festival). Like most people are to a good hairdresser, Gadon appears to be loyal to the family of directors she works with. The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Gadon to discuss working with the Cronenbergs, and she admits that when she got the script for Antiviral from Brandon, she worried she might not like it and didn’t want to complicate her relationship with David. Fortunately, Brandon’s enthusiasm for the script helped sell Gadon on the project, and they’ve had a great working relationship since. Of course, she’s already been in three Cronenberg films and she’s only 25 years old, so she would say that. Read the entire story [The Hollywood Reporter] »
SPOTTED: Rob Ford attends—and reads a proclamation at—a gay outreach event (!)
Rob Ford at IDAHOT flag-raising (Image: Don Peat via Twitter)
Something awfully surprising happened just moments ago: Mayor Rob Ford not only attended the flag-raising ceremony for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, but he also delivered the IDAHOT proclamation, receiving a huge round of applause and cheers from the crowd. Given Ford’s impressively weak ties to the gay community in Toronto, and the fact that his office had told organizers he wouldn’t be attending this event at all, we’re shocked at his surprise appearance. Does this mean he’ll be donning a neon green lycra Speedo and a Super Soaker holster at the Pride parade this year? (You’re welcome for the visual.)
Like Revenge? One of the Graysons is hosting a party at Joe Fresh next week
Season one of Revenge is coming to a close, and as sad as that is, Joe Fresh wants to keep the Revenge fire burning by throwing a party with Christa B. Allen (Charlotte Grayson) on May 23 at its Queen and Portland location. The event is a private affair, but getting in won’t be so difficult if you have the chops of Emily Thorne or a sensei like Satoshi Takeda. If you have either of those things, you should really be using your skills to get Madeleine Stowe (Victoria Grayson) to come to this party. Ah well, at least it isn’t Connor Paolo (Declan Porter)—better known as the actor with the worst Boston accent in the history of television (at least, we think it is a Boston accent).
Glory Box’s pop-up project is back, ditching clothes and pots for patio furniture
The sweltering and humid Toronto summer is coming, and the promise of getting post-work drunk sitting outdoors is becoming mighty appealing. (It’s true, it is.) Back in December, a couple of local girls, Natalie Petozzi and Abigail Van Den Broek, threw together a Glory Box pop-up shop with 70 per cent off Le Creuset pots and designer denim. Now, they’re moving on, selling patio furniture from Andrew Richards Designs, Sunbrella, Enclover, Cana-Foam, Cabana Coast by Actiwin and more. All items will be on sale for 50 to 70 per cent off, which means you might not have to buy this season’s modular wicker chaise lounge from Restoration Hardware. (You still can, but you don’t have to.)
Glory Box, 99 Sudbury St., May 26 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and May 27 (12 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
VIDEO: Worn Fashion Journal channels Ed Wood for its latest issue
Worn Fashion Journal is at it again with its kooky videos. This time it’s a sneak peek at its brand new issue, which features an homage to the film Ed Wood set at the Gladstone Hotel. The folks at Worn use a stuffed octopus, retro X-ray glasses and a bathtub to get their vision across. We were hoping to see Johnny Depp in a blonde wig, but this will do.
Justin Bieber is allegedly a swaggy adult, whatever that means
Few people have encountered the real Justin Bieber, because his public persona has been so finely crafted by his team that he’s constantly representing a “brand” rather than himself. Writer Drew Magary was sent to interview the Biebz by GQ and finally make him a man, but it turns out Bieber would rather buy ludicrous custom automobiles, draw penises on a grease board and say absurd things like “I’m 18 years old and I’m a swaggy adult. Come on, swaggy bros!” (He is a super-rich 18-year-old, after all.) But while it is easy to forgive an 18-year-old for acting like an 18-year-old, this precocious little scamp also has a humongous ego that’s incredibly obnoxious: “I’ve never made a bad song,” he says. (Oh, really, Biebsy?) Read the entire story [GQ] »
Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” has reached its end: it’s nominated for several MMVAs
Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” video has received over 62 million YouTube views, which means—based on arbitrary Internet standards—it is a success. The infectious song beat out Justin Bieber on the U.K. charts, and this year it is nominated for Pop Song of the Year, Video of the Year and International Video of the Year by a Canadian at the MuchMusic Video Awards. There is no word yet on whether Justin Bieber will show up to accept any awards with her, since, um, he basically made her a thing. In 2011, Jepsen was just a girl with a VideoFACT grant.
48 spring/summer runway looks Joe Fresh actually produced (and they’re available in stores now)
A frequent point of contention at Toronto Fashion Week is that a lot of what we see from Joe Fresh (Joe Freezy, to us) is never actually produced. Or if it is produced, a cheaper material is substituted for leather, and it just doesn’t look the same. But Joe Fresh has stepped it up this season. A lot of what’s in stores looks exactly like it did on the runway—and, like always, it’s pretty darn cheap (most pieces are under $100, including shoes). The runway collection dropped yesterday at Freezy’s Queen and Portland, Forest Hill, Maple Leaf Gardens and Queen’s Quay locations, and according to a Joe Fresh rep, Queen and Portland and Forest Hill will have the largest selection. Joe Fresh’s awesome printed pants are in-store, but sadly the colour-blocked button-up is not. And fortunately for womankind, these leather pants have not been produced (though for some reason, this monstrosity made the cut). Check out all of the available looks and how much they cost »
Canada’s Best Beauty Talent, episode 12: there is still no winner
This episode is the worst yet. We have no trouble saying this, because, after the promise of an actual, legit conclusion to the series, we are still left wondering who won. Marcia is up first for judging, and every single judge says exactly the same thing: she’s a great makeup artist, but her two looks do not dazzle. Why on earth does this take five minutes to report? And why couldn’t each judge say something constructive? We don’t see Marcia rolling her eyes, but as soon as Lisa Tant takes her turn to offer her own variation of the hive-mind opinion (she says it doesn’t “razzle dazzle”), our eyes roll for her. At least when Caylee shows up for judging, there’s a somewhat constructed faux rivalry developing between Coco Rocha and Tant. Rocha apparently loves Caylee’s two hairstyles, while Tant is “overwhelmed and underwhelmed.” Caylee’s hair-noose is referred to as a beard several times before the judging is over, and then Rocha drops the bomb: the show is technically not over. The viewers (we’re not the only ones?) now have to vote for their favourite online. Let the record show that this reality web series knows how to appease its sponsors…but not our curiosity. Vote for your favourite »
