writing, speaking, web-making, and best of all, I get to dance later
I'm the author of YA novels, Rhythm & Blues and Break On Through.More about me »
I’ve been seeing comments on Twitter and Facebook on Figure Skating costumes at the Olympics, and how insane they are, and whether they might um… detract from the sport. You don’t have to feel so alone or confused about this issue. My seminal post on Cheese In Figure Skating is here to help you. “On [...]
One of the things I loved best about LA (aside from the tendency of Los Angelenos to say charming things like “oh, all the best artists come from Canada!” and the beautiful way they have of valuing creative labour in general) is that despite the bigness of LA, the city still believes in and uses [...]
On my very last day in LA, Cecil & I drove to Pasadena for the launch of Lisa Yee’s Absolutely Maybe. I was excited because I’d been hearing pretty consistently all over the internet how awesome Lisa is, and also because I’d actually read the book, which is a more rare experience than you might [...]
I’ve been a fan of Robert LePage‘s theatrical work since I was fifteen and saw Les Aiguilles et L’Opium with my French class. So I felt like an idiot for not buying tickets soon enough to the Montreal premiere of Le Dragon Bleu, his most recent work with Marie Michaud. I dithered over when to [...]
Just got home from seeing Brigitte Dajczer play at Cafe Sarajevo with my fabulous friend and vocal coach, the unpretentious* Amanda Mabro. Brigitte plays a mean gypsy fiddle, and her band was terrific, blending many subtle world, pop and funk influences into what still shone through as authentic, firey Gitan sound. I’ve seen her play [...]
My history considered, it’s more than a little strange that I don’t go to see live dance or theatre very often– a problem I’m trying very consciously to redress, starting rightnow. This Tuesday, I had a chance to see Montreal-based break-fusion company, RubberBanDance’s Punto Ciego. The comany’s director, Victor Quijada has described their work as [...]
This video of a guy painting by breaking is kind of mesmerizing to watch. Not only that but he has really nice footwork, and it’s to a track by Bonobo. Via Celebreak
Jill & Cecil at the Museum of Jurrassic Technology. I’m on vacation this week, galavanting about LA with my bud and fellow YA writer, Cecil Castellucci. She’s been running a series of punk lists in celebration of the paperback release of her novel, Beige. Mine is a list with a twist and it’s up RIGHT [...]
I’m so sad I didn’t take the posters for this seriously! I saw them around, but the image was so hyperbolic, I dismissed it as marketing fantasy and ignored them altogether. And now I find out its real and its happening tonight, and I can’t even go to Quebec City to see it. Wouldn’t that [...]
I have an important event recommendation for anyone reading this in or near Toronto: My dear friends JoDee Allen and Helen Simard of Solid State Break Dance are at the Factory Theatre for the Next Stage Festival, today through Sunday at various times. The show blends two of my favourite dance forms, breakdance and lindy [...]
I found out about these videos after E. Lockhart (if you haven’t read her Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks yet, what’s keeping you? Do you not like awesomeness or something?) posted this one on her lovely blog. I guess they’ve been around since summer/fall, but I hadn’t seen them before, so maybe you haven’t [...]
Can a headline become a cliché? Who will join me in retiring this one? “The Stars Come Out To Play” I noticed it this morning in the Globe & Mail, and my first thought was “It’s not even Toronto International Film Festival season.” Unless you’re going to link to an article with a photo of [...]
Do, friends and family often call you with questions? Do you frequently appear to know all the answers because you look them up on The Internets as you talk to them? If only you could be a little more smug about it. If only you could teach them to fish. Now you can! LetMeGoogleThatForYou.com (thanks [...]
You know how on a lot of blogs, you need to login or give your email address or translate a little graphic-anti-spam thingy before you’re allowed to leave a comment? I think someone should make an application that makes you jump through some hoops before you’re allowed to read comments. The application should ask you [...]
I was talking to some friends recently about some of the quirks, advantages, limitations and particularities of b-girling, b-boying, breakdancing– whatever you might like to call it. Something that came up was the use of the term b-girl or b-boy, and how one can be a great breaker but not a b-girl, or a lifelong [...]
I’ve received a few email/myspace/facebook messages about Earth Hour– the hour on March 29th when everyone, on Earth, is supposed to turn out the lights, for an hour, for, again, Earth. People want to know: “Jill, what are you doing for Earth Hour?” or sometimes: “Jill, what are you doing for Earth Hour?” There’s been [...]
I can’t believe so many file-sharing sites were shut down so quickly by the music industry, but the publishing industry has collaborated with Amazon.com on its “Search Inside” option, which allows you to essentially read a whole book online without buying it. I’m not complaining. I’m just amazed. Grateful. Because “Search Inside” just saved me [...]
So I guess it’s that time of year. I called home to my mom in Montreal the other day and she was all, “Hey how’s it going” “OK, I guess. You?” “Um. Are you sitting or standing?” “Walking around, actually.” “Maybe you’d better sit,” she said, her voice grave. I nervously obeyed, wondering whether my [...]
The launch on Sunday was a lot of fun, and the book (now available for purchase from Coach House Books) looks great. I tried to check out the panels, but I was still sick and the room was very crowded and hot, so that didn’t last long. I came back for the early evening music [...]
For those of you who collect cover songs, (iMo, I know I’m talking to you), the indefatigable Marc Lostracco has compiled the post of your dreams over at Torontoist. There’s even an iTunes playlist that might help you fill in the holes in your collection.
The ever-industrious Jennrock had an article in The Star yesterday about “life lists” on sites like 43 Things, inspired, of course, by daytime talk TV. She made the observation that many celebrities list learning to cook as a goal, and suggests that a celebrity cooking show shoould be the obvious outcome. I have no TV [...]
It’s not that often that I just grab a video off YouTube and call it a post. Mainly this seems to happen with material my brother sends me. I guess it’s just my way of showing him I care. Especially since I won’t be sending him a Christmas present this year. What you need to [...]
I’m just going to keep doing this once a month until one of us gets bored, or something by the Magnetic Fields finally comes up, ‘k? (Single girl, I know you are reading and I know this is not the kind of post you’ were hoping for, but since I also know you have a [...]
The Onion AV Club has this fun feature where celebrities set their iPods or store brand digital music playback devices on random and talk about the first few songs that come up. I have way dumber music than the average celebrity, and you, my friends and readers, are more famous to me than any star, [...]
Weird Al is releasing videos about my family again. My brother alerted me to this yesterday, and since then, I think Les has already forwarded it to half his friends: It’s a parody of this “original” song. “White & Nerdy” is almost too easy, but the details are just so accurate. I did take calculus [...]
I love, love, love, love, love, love, love hip hop because some of the most fundamental aspects of emceeing, deejaying, breaking and graff have historically been achieved totally by accident, using the most inauspicious tools imaginable. I’m not even talking about ghettoes and the racism and brutal political conditions and gangs and police violence, and [...]
The digital ink is just setting on my latest subjectively biased movie review over on Torontoist.com. Bon Cop Bad Cop is a movie I never really believed would see a widespread release outside of Quebec. In July, when it was already out in theatres there, someone asked me whether the film was being marketed differently [...]
Because The Delightful Rapper, More Or Les and I are getting married next April, I’ve been looking through lists upon lists of First Dance songs. Actually, it’s just one list because the same top-twenty celebration-of-schmaltz has been republished online a billion times. It’s unclear how this list was compiled– whether there is at this moment, [...]
My birthday is next week, and I wasn’t going to do anything special, but already people are surprising me with gifts, so I have to say, things are looking more exciting than I had expected. Yesterday, Lyndee Of the Calgary Lyndees was in town and surprised me with this magnificent bit of cancelled cartoon history: [...]
So they killed Marissa on the OC. I know this even though I’ve never watched a single episode of the show. It was on TV. People reported it. Mischa Barton, who played Marissa had this to say about it: “My character has been through so, so much and there’s really nothing more left for her [...]
Found this on the BlogTo photo blog.
That “music” be shortened to “sic.” Of all the short words I know, that one is just too long. You feel me? Try it out. “Yo, that show was hype! Their sic is just sick.” Trust me on this one.
I love this movie. I reviewed it already on Torontoist.com, so if you like dance movies, sports movies, teen movies, or movies that get hip hop and suburban punk culture right, go check it out.
Have you seen this clip with Katie Couric interviewing this chipper, chipper cheerleader who fell on her head, and then kept cheering while being wheeled out of the building, strapped to a stretcher? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11699607 I hate to force anyone watch/read anything in IE, but this clip is WORTH IT.
From the London (Ontario) Free Press “‘Ughhhhhhh!’ read one posting on the Los Angeles section of Craiglist, an online community Web site featuring classified ads and discussion boards.” “Over at www.Myspace.com, someone named David wrote: ‘Last night???s choice for best picture of the year was…’” Awesome sourcing, guys. Totally credible. I almost hope those references [...]
This is something I’ve ranted and raved about a lot, and usually people just listen to me quietly and stare at me with horror in their eyes, like I’m suggesting making babies the 5th food group. For a long time I wondered if things were only amiss on the hip hop side of things, due [...]
I don’t think I could ever re-marry someone who rapped so often and so publicly and so to the financial gain of himself and his friends about killing me. Yes, I’m quite certain that would be beyond my sphere of forgiveness (and thankfully both halves of that are well outside my sphere of experience), regardless [...]
http://mchammer.blogspot.co It’s like, really rambly, and has a self indulgent quantity of photos of uninteresting things, yet is targeted to all of us, AND… He lists himself in the same sentence as Public Enemy. A must-read.
On December 30, 2005, I declared “Mash-up” the most overused term of 2006. So far 2006 is backing me up on that. I can still appreaciate a proper-use/funny instance of the term, however. In the spirit of mashing, this one is dedicated to Lauralyn, mash-up proponent: Jesus Walked Back and He’s Black – Kanye West [...]
I know it’s pretty and dramatic and everything but it’s the music of ill portent, people. Surya Bonaly proved that to great effect years ago. Stop trying. Also, note to the World: Enough with the Riverdance and Lord Of The Dance music already. And if Nancy Kerrigan could commission a $13,000 dress from Vera Wang, [...]
Frankly, I’m just a little distracted by the Olympics right now. I have paid essentially no attention whatsoever to figure skating since the Olympics before last. So imagine my surprise at tuning in to discover three (3!) viable Chinese pairs competing this year. Welcoming these athletes to the international stage are wagonloads of poor starving [...]
Torino! 11:27 p.m. Edit: On further reflection, I think that given its connection to fascism, Italian Futurism might have been given a less glossy treatment than it was here. So deduct a point, but the ceremony was still mighty cool.
Killing In the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine followed by… wait for it…. Ladies Night by Kool & the Gang Gotta love what iTunes comes up with when you set your entire library on random. If that doesn’t start your day right, I don’t know what will.
Over at Losing Elphie/Pinching Out The Pudge, the Purl Princess herself has compiled a very impressive and hilarious breakdown of why she hates every chef host on the Food Network except Nigella Lawson. If you’ve ever wanted to push Rachel Ray into “a boiling pot of EVOO,” if you think Giada di Laurentiis puts the [...]
Is there anything lamer than the music at Starbucks? Remember, like, ten years ago when it was fun to talk about how creepy it is that Starbucks has this mandatory music that can’t be controlled by staff? Remember when that was sooo corporate and evil? That was before we knew they were getting into the [...]
“mash-up” It’s not just for remixes anymore. I’m projecting. I’m sick of this NOW, which means other people should start to notice sometime over the summer. slang
I think the following web site gave me the biggest laugh I’ve have had all year, and that’s saying a lot ’cause this is the end of the year, bitches, and I have watched a lot of comedy in 2005. http://www.kevinfederline.com/ Get it now, before it’s gone. In another note, poor, poor David Letterman. But [...]
When the detective finally realized that there is no such thing as a shortcut through Maine! When they ripped the mask off the ghost. When she woke up and realized it was all a dream… or was it?
Email correspondence with the Delightful Rapper, this 11th day before Christmas: DR: We had the < ahem > “pleasure” of hearing this on CBC a few minutes ago: BRYAN ADAMS LYRICS “Hey man, we’re having a reggae christmas a merry christmas and a reggae new year to you we’re having a reggae christmas – down [...]
4- “hip hop steeped in 3- “a virtual empire” 2- “bitter-sweet coming of age” 1- “ragtag posse”
So the thing is, I don’t hate RENT per se. I just love that bad review of RENT more than I like RENT. But this man over here, he hates RENT. And what I like about him is, he has found something productive to do with his hatred. He has pledged that if readers donate [...]
You gotta check out this review of RENT. Unless you’re a fan of RENT, Che Guevara T-Shirts or John Grisham. In which case, I’m not 100% sure we can be friends anyway.
Go Fug Yourself has a really funny bit about the Hiltons today.
Gaak! The other day I was mentioning that we’re coming up on an Olympic year, and I assumed that our athletes were sitting around at home admiring themselves in their attractive Roots uniforms, and you know, like, practicing. iMo corrected me. Roots is actually NOT outfitting the Canadian Olympic team. No! This year, The Bay [...]
So I guess it’s an Olympic year coming up. The Royal Bank has trumped up their own version of a Heritage Moment, celebrating their own financial investment in Olympic hockey, and the Torontoist had a Kurt Browning sighting last week, around the time of the Drunken Ashley Simpson McDonalds debacle. (OK, maybe Toronto isn’t that [...]
The recent rash of interviews leading up to the release of Get Rich or Die Trying has given me the opportunity to read and discover for myself a genuine personal dislike of $0.50. I really don’t like that guy. But more than 50, the person I really don’t like is Cindy Pearlman of the Chicago [...]
…I think it’s TV. I miss it. I don’t exactly watch a lot of TV. But what I watch, I watch. Just 3 shows a week and the odd music video. That’s all I need. I can’t pay the cable people $60/month for less than 15 hours of viewing experience. That’s way more expensive than [...]
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/10/25/Arts/siminovitch_051025.html?print Oh wow! So much news today! This is so great! John Mighton is a really cool guy who’s done really cool things and helped a lot people in the process. He’s a playwright turned math guy turned teacher turned playwright. I am definitely behind in adding him to my list of favourite People I’ve [...]
We, as a society, have become way too obsessed with voicemail and call display. I dialed a wrong number this evening and hung up before getting to the voicemail beep. One hour later, I received a message on my voicemail. “Hi, this is soandso, you called me. I don’t know who you are, but I’ll [...]
ME: If I was Transylvanian, I’d be the same thing for Halloween every single year. DR: A cowboy? ME: No. Mermaid. * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** So I introduce to you, Jill’s Halloween Costume 2005: Vampire Mermaid She swims; she has fangs; she has [...]
I finally got a copy of The Streets’ Original Pirate Material after just about wearing out A Grand Don’t Come For Free. I love it. Not in any kind of mood to describe why I love it but suffice it to say that I do. Truly. Deeply.
Mickey Mouse will never be ironic. He just won’t. It doesn’t matter what Value Village you were in when you found that golf shirt, it’s the same thing as if you went and bought a brand new one at DisneyWorld. Now, Mr. T, his merch was already ironic while he was at the height of [...]
(XPost from my MySpace Blog) I feel like I need to share this story with everyone. I was walking down the street the other day, and I passed a mum walking with two little boys who looked to be about 8 or so. I overheard the one boy say to his friend: “No, it was [...]
