“Say we get into the cage and through the security doors and down the elevator we can’t move and past the guards with the guns and into the vault we can’t open,” posits Carl Reiner’s character Saul Bloom in the 2001 heist movie Ocean’s Eleven. “Say we do all that, we’re just supposed to walk…

You Know You’re An Icon If… Every late-night talk show host and Saturday Night Live alum you meet cites you as a comedic influence; you were part of the original 1972 Toronto Godspell cast; you hold a Tony Award record for most nominations (as a featured actress in a musical) and are tied for most…

Are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the sunshine? Are you ready for the birds and bees, the apple trees, and a whole lotta foolin' around?   That catchy refrain from June 1979 introduced cinemagoers to the little Canadian summer camp movie that could: Meatballs, which grossed $70 million (all numbers in…

“I can be smart when it matters, but most men don’t like it,” says Lorelei Lee in the 1953 comedy musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. This famous quip from Howard Hawks’ film sums up for us the fate of the star who uttered it. Marilyn Monroe confronted the pitilessness of the 1950s Hollywood studio system during…

While Vancouver and Toronto host matches and World Cup fever takes hold, there is plenty of non-soccer-related TV – from rock ’n’ roll vampires and vengeful prisoners to nostalgic summer romance and high-society drama – to keep you entertained the whole summer.    Cape Fear Javier Bardem steps into the skin (and tattoos) of vengeful…

Move over pizza and fried chicken. Take a break, salad and sushi. It’s time to talk about burgers. The origin of hamburgers is international, fascinating and, to an extent, controversial. But there is no contention about their popularity in North America. The most recent data from Technomic, which analyzes food-service data, indicates that almost half…