October 29 2009 by The Newspaper

“IT’S A SHAME” Marchese supports sessional lecturers p. 2

ZOMBIES GOBLINS AND GHOULS, OH MY! INSIDE

the newspaper

University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly

Vol. XXXII N0. 9

U of T students Trick or Eat ANDREW GYORKOS

HELENE GODERIS

For many university students, Halloween is more about dressing up in sexy iterations of iconic horror staples than anything else. The time when we could

innocently suit up in ghastly attire and go door-to-door pestering the neighbours for sweets may have passed, but Meal Exchange, a student-run charitable initiative, allows magnanimous students with a fondness

for Halloween to dress up in costume and hit the streets with their Trick or Eat program. “Trick or Eat happens on Halloween, and it gives university students the excuse to go trickor-treating again, but with a twist,” said Tala Khoury, coordinator of Meal Exchange at the St. George campus. Instead of collecting candy, students gather canned food and other non-perishables by going door-to-door in the residential areas around campus and in the Annex. This year’s proceeds will be donated to the Fort York Food Bank. As Meal Exchange’s major fundraiser, Trick or Eat rolls costumes, candy, and charity into an annual event. Last year, its 5,991 participants raised nearly nearly $23,000 and ac-

UTSU stages ‘die-in’ TOMASZ BUGAJSKI Any pedestrians walking past the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities on Thursday, October 29th will bear witness to a morbid scene. Students ambling the premises will fall down “dead” as part of a staged “die-in,” protesting Continued on page 3

Continued on page 3

October 29, 2009

the science Tim Ryan talks arachnids, post-coitus We all have our specific preferences when it comes to after-sex rituals. Personally, I love a good spoon (I call big spoon!), but some prefer the opposite, choosing to rollover and fall asleep immediately thereafter. Those with nicotine addictions will enjoy a relaxing cigarette, some will instantly crave a shower. I’ve heard tales of men getting up to raid the fridge while watching sports highlights, conversely, I’ve heard about career-driven women who turn to their Blackberry postmating. And none of these address the messy world of one-night stands. One ritual that we thankfully pass on (although I’m sure it exists on the internet somewhere) is sexual cannibalization. The Redback spider, indigenous to Australia and similar in appearance to the Black Widow, is one of only two animals worldwide in which the smaller male actively assists the female in sexual cannibalization during which the male maneuvers his body over the female’s mouthparts. But researchers at the University of Toronto Scarborough have recently published an article in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B where they elucidate the competitive logistics of this event. The duo, Ph.D. candidate Jeffrey Stoltz and associate

professor of integrative behaviour and neuroscience, Maydianne Andrade, present data that show the females have a “courtship threshold” of approximately 100 minutes which intruding males can manipulate in an effort to poach a potential mate. Competitions were set up where ‘resident’ males courted females past the 100 minute threshold after which ‘intruding’ males were introduced. They found that the intruders were able to easily poach the courted female and mate with them, all while getting themselves off the after-sex menu. This finding demonstrated two novel characteristics of the event, firstly, that smaller, weaker males can slip by and mate successfully, acting like a parasite on the hard-work of the first male. Secondly, it shows the female’s inability to distinguish her source of courtship thus rendering her mate selection skills relatively useless. This paper represents one of the few instances where the theory of female choice via thresholds has been quantified. It is also the first to show the males of a species manipulating the female’s selection process to hijack mates from competitors. Life would be so much easier for us human males if things worked the same way. I’ll admit I’m not one for approaching women; I just wish I could develop a method like this to manipulate female selection without getting slapped. PHOTO: Ken Jones

the news

October 29, 2009

CUPE 3902 announces strike date

BEER • WINGS • POOL • JAVA SPORTS • JUKEBOX • SPIRITS EVENTS • OPEN STAGE • GAMES

Misak says U of T ready for fire, hazardous materials, and striking sessional lecturers This past Wednesday, October 28th, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 3902 held a press conference at Hart House to announce that its sessional lecturer members are prepared to go on strike at 12 AM on Monday, November 9th, if their demands are not met. U of T hires sessional lecturers on single-course contracts, but are, more often than not, just as qualified and experienced as full-time permanent teachers. CUPE 3902 and U of T have been at the bargaining table for three months. CUPE 3902’s demands centre around wages, job security, and year-round academic support. According to CUPE 3902’s Bargaining Team Spokeswoman Dr. Leslie Jermyn, it was U of T’s second wage offer that brought about the decision to set a strike deadline. “This [wage offer] would have our members [with a PhD.] making less than $2.25 more than somebody teaching a course without a PhD.,” says Jermyn. CUPE 3902 thinks a PhD. is worth more than this. Sessional lecturers at U of T earn $15, 000 per year on average. U of T’s latest wage of-

HELENE GODERIS

DAN CRAIG

CAUT President Penni Stewart speaks at CUPE press conference after Dr. Leslie Jermyn (far left) announced strike date. fer, according to CUPE 3902, was less than a 2% per year increase. This offer is particularly offensive to CUPE 3902 because they feel singled-out. Every other employee group has been offered at least a 3% per year increase. “For some reason the university has decided to target us as the first group to break the trend,” says Jermyn. “To ask the poorest paid academic staff on campus to take the biggest hit is unconscionable.” Also present at the press conference was MPP Rosario Marchese, the NDP Education critic. He expressed his support for CUPE and the sessional lecturers. “It’s shameful,” said Marchese. “We have people who do almost full-time work for parttime pay, without job security.”

U of T Media Relations, as a matter of standard practice, refused to comment on the ongoing negotiations with CUPE 3902. However, at the Governing Council’s Planning and Budget Committee meeting on October 28, Provost Cheryl Misak reassured members of the committee that they are prepared to deal with a possible strike. She explained that administration staff are already “working very hard” on a program continuity plan. The UTOR Continuity Planning Tool is a piece of software available to faculty to help them plan for emergencies. According to the guidebook for the program, it is designed to enhance preparedness for incidents such as “fires, hazardous materials spills, ice storms, pandemic, utilities failures, and network

failures.” Lately this software has been put to use to plan for a possible H1N1 outbreak on campus. Misak was referring to similar procedures to mitigate any negative effects of a sessional lecturer strike. Memories and horror stories from last year’s York TA strike are still fresh in the minds of Ontario university students. Although courses taught by sessional lecturers would halt in the case of a strike, Jermyn says she does not believe U of T will shut down. She hopes it would be a short strike and insists that she does not want people to think that CUPE 3902 is using students as a bargaining chip. “Most of us work for cheap wages because we love to teach,” says Jermyn. “Our battle is not with the students.”

Errata To err happens. Last week’s campus comment attributed to Anthony from Parking Services should have read a lot more positively toward the Chinese Food Trucks. The quotes were taken out of context. Anthony in fact loves the truck’s offerings!

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the news

October 29, 2009

UTSU die in

Trick or Eat

cont’d from page 1

cuts to public services. Protesters wearing Dalton McGuinty and Dwight Duncan masks will slash down students, each representing a public service. The “dead” will be examined by EMS workers and coroners who will pronounce each student’s cause of death, including ‘lack of funding,’ ‘debt,’ ‘spending cuts,’ and so forth. The “die-in” is an event organized by UTSU, and leads up to the November 5th Day of Action. UTSU hosted a similar event last year, which featured grave stones littered across Hart House Circle, reading “R.I.P. Affordable Education.” Shelley Melanson, the CFS Ontario Chairperson, who will be playing the part of ‘chief coroner’ explains, “we’re calling on the government to make the necessary investment in human capital, to protect social services, and to maintain its commitments to building a poverty-free Ontario.” For most students, the postsecondary funding issue will most likely dominate among the many public service cuts being protested. Demands for more post-secondary funding come during a bad economy, but UTSU VP-External Hadia

cumulated enough food for 149,112 meals. Meal Exchange is a nationally registered, student-run charity with chapters at over 35 Canadian university campuses. Rahul Raj, a student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, created the organization in 1993. The group aims to alleviate local poverty by raising awareness about the 2.7 million Canadians who go hungry. It runs programs and fundraisers; all proceeds are donated to local food banks. “We want to empower students to give back to their communities, and solve the issues that plague their cities,” said Khoury. The October 31 romp through the neighbourhood as Count Orlok (or Edward Cullen) is still possible. You simply have to add a desire to make the world a better place to your childlike glee for candy and fancy dress. If you would like to spend this Halloween touring the neighbourhood with a pillowcase full of non-perishables, visit www.mealexchange.com for more information.

Aktar says, “investing in education is actually better during recession times because that’s when people need to start getting retrained.” Aktar adds that rather than cutting corporate taxes, resources should be allocated to education. Melanson mentions that “it’s a misrepresentation to suggest that the only way to fund these things is through higher taxes.” She believes that a lot of money is wasted in scandals, like eHealth, and better management and prioritizing would make more funds available. The Liberals have repeatedly promised to improve post-

secondary education. In their 2007 platform, the Liberal government points to the 120,000 grants they created for ‘in need’ post-secondary students, affirming their belief that investing in post-secondary education is the best poverty reduction strategy. Ontario’s tuition is the highest in Canada. According to Belleville’s Pioneer, Premier McGuinty, speaking at a Rotary Club luncheon, has called a tuition freeze unlikely. This has not deterred organizers like Melanson and Akhtar, who both remain hopeful that some reduction in tuition is still pos-

sible. John Milloy, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, speaking with the Excalibur, defended his government’s record on education, and pointed to $1.5B set aside directly for student aid. He also points to increased opportunities for grants, and claims his government’s record on accessibility has been “a great one.” The debate over public services funding continues to heat up as the Liberal Government prepares to make cuts in light of the deficit. Time will tell whether or not the UTSU protesters will have “died” in vain.

Librarians hit the street

the the brief brief the campus U of T researchers think they have discovered a way to reduce the absent-mindedness that results from lack of sleep by reducing the concentration of an enzyme in the brain. This could lead to new therapies to reduce the impact of sleeplessness and improve memory.

On October 25, an unusual breed of buskers could be found doling out their special brand of stimulation for public consumption. It was not music they were offering, but information. Just ouside of the ROM at the corner of Bloor and Avenue, five Masters of Informations students from the Faculty of Information set up shop to peddle their intellectual wares; for a small donation, passersby could ask the students any question they could think up. The first-year students, Katya Pereyaslavska, Stephen Spong, Cybil Stephens, Sarah Jones, and Brandon Weigel, were participating in the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Dare to Remember Challenge to raise money for anti-AIDS campaigns in Africa. The dare must be something that would both take participants out of their comfort zone and engage the public, while raising funds for AIDS awareness programs. The students became involved in the challenge when one of their professors, Nadia Caidi, came across an advert while reading on the subway. “I was compiling my syllabus at

ALEX NURSALL

THOMAS MANTEL

First-year Masters of Information student Brandon Weigel has all the answers. the time,” said Caidi, “and I said, You know what? This is perfect for getting our students to do something outside of the library and that is also an outreach to the community...something that sheds a different light on librarianship that says, Look, we are engaged with social justice issues and with the community and are doing something that people don’t always associate with libraries.” The students raised $776.86 in donations, far exceeding their expectations. Caidi even

received a call from the Stephen Lewis Foundation congratulating her students on their stellar performance. The students received a total of 63 queries, ranging from “Are there any English-language theatres in Shanghai?” to “Where does the name Saskatchewan come from?” One of the academic goals of Professor Caidi’s assignment was to enliven the public perception of librarians as a whole. “The public perception of the librarian as this old or middle aged white woman with a cat

and a bun,” said Caidi, “I think has to be debunked because now it’s about having people who are very proactive, very vocal...we have a lot of young people, a lot of young men who are in the profession and who are really passionate about what they do.” Just such a young man, Brandon Weigel, echoed Caidi’s sentiments. “This is a project to raise the public image of librarians,” he said. “Most people don’t really know what librarians do. Our job is to connect people to information.”

the local City councillor Giorgio Mammoliti wants sex parlours out of Toronto. “This is a well-organized and well-orchestrated concept that didn’t just happen overnight,” Mammoliti said. He has already called the RCMP and OPP to investigate whether certain clubs are involved in prostitution, breaking immigration laws and/or trafficking women. the world The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges Explorations are making news with over 75 grants of $100,000 each being given out as seed money for the development of ideas that might improve the health situation of those living in poor countries. the weird In Michigan, a pet store employee stuffed his mouth full of hissing cockroaches in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record. -Amina Stella

the inside

October 29, 2009

“ the campus comment ”

Turn of the Screw

Campbell house provides the perfect backdrop

the newspaper asks: when trick-or-treat comes down to trick, what have you done?

I smashed my own pumpkin once. Dana, Anthropology

I plan to make a fool out of myself and force my friends to take care of me. Alex, Poli Sci, History

In grade 11, my friend and I egged our doctor’s house. She was a horrible woman. Anna, Drama

I’m going to ask everyone, “Can I borrow your face? I want to use it to scare people.” Perry, Life Sciences

Back when I was a kid, [people handing out candy] used to do tricks [on us]. Like card tricks. Tom, U of T Grounds

MIKI SATO

James: I’ve stapled a pair of men’s underwear to Joe’s door. Joe and James, Commerce

AMY STUPAVSKY

wirelesswave.ca

The Turn of the Screw, a production of the DVxT Theatre Company, ushers theatre-goers into a haunted house of Victorian unease. The play, which opened on October 16 at the Campbell House Museum, was adapted from the classic Henry James story by Jeffery Hatcher in 1969. The play is performed entirely by two actors. Christine Horne plays the Governess and Clinton Walker, drawing on his vocal range, assumes all remaining roles: the Man, Uncle, Mrs. Grose, and Miles. Director Vikki Anderson reinvigorates the play just in time for Halloween. “I love Halloween,” said Walker. “I love getting into the spirit of it. We want to be scared. It makes us feel alive and tests our limits.” The play recounts the tale of a young, inexperienced governess charged with the care of Miles and Flora, two children abandoned by their uncle in his grand country house. When she learns that her predecessor, Miss Jessel, died under curious circumstances, she begins to hear strange things and see mysterious figures. She eventually convinces herself that Miss Jessel and her lover Quint (the uncle’s dissolute valet who has also died) are using her charges to continue their relationship from beyond the grave. She pours her energies into protecting the children from the perceived evil. The audience is left to decide whether the appari-

tions represent figments of her imagination or genuine threats, as the governess walks the line between mental unsoundness and lucidity. “It’s all about storytelling and inferred terror,” said Walker. “This is a kind of scare that allows people to examine what really frightens them.” Campbell House, built in 1822 by Upper Canada Chief Justice Sir William Campbell and Toronto’s oldest remaining brick home, serves as an apt location. At each performance, a group of 20 to 30 viewers follow the cast as they weave throughout the home’s rooms. The historic setting only heightens the play’s verisimilitude and haunting atmosphere. “We wanted the audience to feel as if they were watching a moment in history,” said Walker. This deceptively simple ghost story crackles with psychological thrills. Nothing is overt; things seen and unseen and episodes conducted behind closed doors all point to the ambiguity of the governess’s mental state. “There is something about it being in her head that makes it scarier,” said Horne. “There’s the idea that it could happen to anybody. People are in the mood for stuff like this, so I hope it enhances the spooky autumn atmosphere.” The Turn of The Screw runs through Nov. 7 at the Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen St. W. Performances are Mon. to Sat. at 8:30 p.m., with Wed. and Thurs. matinees at 1:00 p.m. Tickets at www.dvxt.com or 416-504-3898.

Christine Horne and Clinton Walker star in Turn of the Screw at Cambell House

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the inside

October 29, 2009

Zombie Pride takes to the streets of Toronto Does the idea of dressing up in ragged clothing, splattering yourself with a quart of fake blood, and ambling menacingly down a Toronto sidewalk sound like your idea of a good time? If so, you’re not alone. Over 1000 zombies of all shapes and sizes gathered at Trinity-Bellwoods Park last Saturday afternoon to take part in Toronto’s seventh annual Zombie Walk. While many followed the traditional template of George A. Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead, there was no shortage of creativity. Zombie firefighters, zombie clowns, zombie graduates, and even a zombie version of Waldo, carried and/or chewed on plastic body parts along Dundas and through Kensington. A pregnant zombie dragged along a plastic baby on a fake umbilical cord. Police ensured that participants kept to the sidewalk, though some zombies managed to wander off towards unsuspecting bystanders. “I always try to go by people’s expressions,” says participant Tanya Pitel. “If

I see a car and someone’s got a huge grin on their face, I’ll run up to them. But if they’re standing back or are otherwise not into it, I won’t do it. It’s all about having fun.” Though attendance was down from last year’s record of over 2,000--likely due to a Zombie Walk this past August, and the threat of inclement weather-there were still plenty of onlookers. Most were amused, though there were certainly some who felt genuine terror. “I can understand how it would be a little bit scary, but I don’t think it’s that abnormal,” said bystander Kalina Janik. Participant Rod Nietzell suggested that it shares a similarity to other international street festivals: “It’s performance art. You have all these people dressing up and acting crazy. It’s sort of like Zombie Pride.” Like the Pride Parade, the Zombie Walk is not endemic to Toronto. Similar events take place in New York, Vancouver, and Melbourne. If you missed the Walk this year, fear not. Planning for the 2010 Toronto Zombie Walk is undoubtedly already underway.

Over 1,000 zombies traveled the streets, from Trinity-Bellwoods Park to the Bloor Cinema. No incidents of authentic brain- or flesh-eating were reported.

ALEX NURSALL

TYLER IRVING

Costumes don’t have to cost you CHRISTINA CIDDIO This Halloween will have you dusting off your parents’ 80s red leather jacket and digging through vintage store bins for sequined gloves. Top costume suppliers rank celebrities and reality stars--such as Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, and Kate Gosselin--as the most popular picks for Halloween

2009. But who’s to say that your classic vampire or Western cowboy getup won’t win you Best Costume at one of U of T’s many Halloween shindigs? The only thing you need to put together your budgetfriendly Costume of the Year is your imagination. A couple of points to keep in mind as you’re digging for change:

Traditional faves are always a hit--but try to add a fun spin on it. Ladies, flaunt your stuff, but remember that sometimes too sexy can be a little scary. Start with what you have in your closet. For the many of us who own a pair of jeans and plaid shirts, being a cowboy or cowgal is simple--top it off with a vintage hat and toothpick. Or, add a tool-belt and

hardhat to transform yourself into a city worker. An American Apparel bodysuit paired with an old sweatband and legwarmers will have you ready to do the locomotion. If you’re a single lady, add some heels to the mix and work some diva magic. Daring types may even choose to glue a bunch of pens on their faces to go a little Gaga.

College studs who own a pair of sleek black dress pants can be transformed from the laid off Wall Street banker by day, into a shirtless, bow-tie wearing Chippendale by twilight. A little twist can turn your Halloween DIYs into staring eyes. Who knows, you may win best dressed after all--creative and economical is the new thing. PHOTOS: Alex Nursall

the arts

October 29, 2009

TYLER IRVING Do the ghosts of theatre past haunt us still? Paul Babiak and Justin Blum of the Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama hope to investigate this query through a little theatrical experimentation. On the weekend of All Hallows’ eve, the Centre will resurrect the vaudeville--a genre of variety entertainment that reached its peak at the turn of the twentieth century. “The phrase I always use when talking about this kind of staging is: adapt, evoke, and betray,” says Blum, director of The Ripper Quartet. Blum’s set recreates scenes of shocking violence from a number of period melodramas, including La Tosca and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Scripts can be adapted, gas-lights can be evoked, but since there is no way to recreate a nineteenth century audience, the show involves some degree of infidelity, or betrayal. “Part of what I’m trying to do is measure the degree of that betrayal,” says

Blum. Blum’s bloody scenes will interweave with the slapstick and comedic violence of Babiak’s acts, which include boxing sisters and dialect clowns. Babiak, Slapstick Trilogy coordinator, is also keen on audience reactions. “There’s a certain combination of willingness and unwillingness in our laughing response. We do find it intuitively reprehensible when someone laughs at an inappropriate or immoral time. Finding out the switches that trip those different aspects of our response will be one of the side effects of this experiment.” The performance will also feature a recreation of the disembodied head illusion, performed by magician extraordinaire, Joe Culpepper. Though the show’s various forms of entertainment might seem unusual to a contemporary audience, it was the norm for the show’s original crowds. “[In those days] you went in and out as you pleased in search of refreshments, and

ALEX NURSALL

Grad Drama off ers bloody good time Vaudeville seeks to adapt, evoke, betray audiences

From left: Laura Hendrickson, Nicole Bischoss and Sasha Shakovacs rehearse for the Graduate Drama production, Hallowe’en Vaudevilles. came back for the entertainment you preferred,” says Babiak. While modern spectators are not likely to pop out for a beer in the middle of the show,

the playlist: Halloween ed. STACEY UPTON Tired of hearing the same eerie Halloween soundtrack of thunder, wolf howls and periodic screams? Well then, it’s time to dig up those forgotten musical treats and give them their much-deserved creeper credit. These terrifying tunes will have you smashing pumpkins all night long. Grotesque Gramophone Awards go to: Thriller, Michael Jackson – Ideal song to bust out zombie dance to at a party. House of 1000 Corpses, Rob Zombie - Best musician-turned-Halloween movie director. Time Warp, The Sweet Transvestite – Top Rocky Horror song/dance. This Is Halloween, by Marilyn Mansion – Best scary Christmas Song conversion. The Boogie Monster, Gnarls Barkley – Greatest opening scream in a song. Ghostbusters, Ray Parkey Jr. – Most haunting theme song. Nightmare on My Street, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Best horror remake of a TV show theme song. Halloween, Aqua - Number one pop band who has no business doing a Halloween song. Hokus Pokus, Insane Clown Posse - Song that guarantees coulrophobic nightmares. Monster Mash, Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & The Cryptkicker - Lifetime achievement award for its contribution to countless Halloween parties.

For those putting up the “No candy left” sign on their door and spending the night in, turn off the lights and get cozy. Why go see Paranormal Activity or Saw XXIII, when these classic freaky films will have you peeing yourself. Don’t feel guilty eating all the trick or treat candy while watching one of these: Black Christmas (1974) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) The Exorcist (1973) The Shining (1980) Pyscho (1960) Interview With The Vampire (1994) Bleeders (1997) Evil Dead (1981) Dawn of The Dead (1978) Halloween (1978)

they will undoubtedly have fun, and their reactions will be invaluable to the study of drama itself. “Hallowe’en Vaudvilles” plays

at Studio Theatre (4 Glen Morris St.) 8pm October 30-31 and 2pm November 1. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or by calling 416-978-7986.

Oh, the Horror! MIKI SATO For over twenty years, the Bloor Cinema has celebrated Halloween with an interactive screening of the 1975 cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Theatre Manager Paul Bordonaro attributes the success of the program year after year to its shadow cast--Excited Mental State (originally Erotic Nightmare)--whose select members have been performing in the show since 1999. Regular attendees of the theatre’s monthly screening enjoy the Rocky Horror experience so much that “some of them have come over one hundred times. I sometimes want to ask them, ‘Are you OK?’” Bordonaro laughs. However it’s October’s screenings that bring in the real crowd. On Halloween night, the Bloor’s seating capacity of 830 is swiftly filled with RHPS fans, mainly composed of high school and university students. Halloween regulars are often eager to introduce their friends to the show, many of whom are oblivious as to what it entails. Cast Director of Excited Mental State, Amy Taylor, advises newbies on some of the tricks and treats in store for them: “For any time of year, a newcomer should expect that people yell

at the screen, get up and dance, and throw specific things at specific times of the movie. Also, they should know the movie contains the following presented in a satirical way: swearing, adult situations, transvestism, aliens, violence, and cannibalism.” In a nutshell, it’s the perfect Halloween experience! Bordonaro suggests that, “it’s why the sequel is called Shock Treatment.” Taylor warns that people “should not expect to sit back and enjoy the movie in silence--because it is an experience, not like seeing any old movie--Rocky Horror is Movie THEATRE. On Halloween, a newcomer should expect it to be hectic, loud, and generally a fun time!” Rather than watching it on TV Halloween night, get out and experience Rocky Horror in all its perverse glory. Although prices have gone up slightly-due to cleaning expenses and prizes for the show--at $15 ($12 for members) you’re guaranteed to get a bang for your buck. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Bash runs Oct. 30-31, with screenings at 8:30pm and 11:30pm both days at the Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor St. W). Best Costume prizes at each show.

the arts

October 29, 2009

Lewis Lapham at ROM

Fashion meets film CAILIN SMART Today, fashion transcends the definition of a lifestyle. We live in a world where selecting the right clothes from a rack is a revered profession, and people would rather watch fashion reality shows than TV dramas. The fashion industry, a controlling force in all other walks of life, has firmly wrapped its tentacles around the throat of film and television. Two films authenticating fashion’s omnipresence in visual electronic media premiered this October: The September Issue, a documentary on Ana Wintour, American Vogue’s Editor-inChief, and Coco Avant Chanel, a French biopic starring Audrey Tautou that depicts Gabrielle Chanel’s life before she opened her iconic fashion house. Both films dig deep into an industry fuelled by superficiality. The September Issue debuted on October 22 at LG Toronto Fashion Week. The film was advertised as a feature on the Machiavellian Ana Wintour, but it proves to go further than a reallife version of The Devil Wears Prada. While the dagger-eyes and excruciating curtness satisfy Wintour’s infamous “dragon lady” persona, they are far from the documentary’s only points of interest. The film showcases the tumultuous relationship between Wintour and Grace Coddington, Vogue’s Creative Director. In an

almost Blakean way, Coddington is the Orc of the Vogue office. She is a fiery Romantic, addicted to beauty and imagination, while the Urizanic Wintour is about practicality and cutthroat efficiency. In consequence, she often undercuts Coddington. In the end, Wintour and Coddington realize Vogue’s bipolarity over the past 20 years has raised it to its fashion-bible status. Surprisingly, the film’s heroine is actually Coddington, whom Wintour refers to as a “genius” in her final interview scene. Coco Avant Chanel picks up the narrative of another fashion heroine, the poor orphan Gabrielle Chanel in turn-of-the-century France. Struggling against gender and social prejudices, Coco prevails. Tatou gives a beautiful performance, shedding her trademark cuteness in favour of Chanel’s edgy quips and melancholy demeanor. The love interests are a little dull, but only because they are beside the point; the story of how Chanel developed the belief that there was a sexiness to simplicity, especially in an era of corsets and excess, takes precedence. Paul Babiak, a professor at U of T’s Cinema Studies Institute, explains that film and TV have always had an intimate relationship with fashion. He is quick to point out that the first stylists were on film sets. But TV was the real fashion catalyst. In Canada, this started with the Women’s Maga-

AMY STUPAVSKY

zine Show on CBC in 1952. “TV is unabashedly and straightforwardly commercial, and so is fashion,” said Babiak. “People can get a more up-to-date sense of style from TV than from magazines. Last month’s Chatelaine isn’t current within a few weeks.” More recently, reality shows such as Project Runway and Canada’s Next Top Model have exposed the fashion industry. “TV brings things into the public sphere,” said Babiak. “During the information boom in the 1990s, everything got blown wide open. There is an interesting tension in the way fashion on TV includes elements of covering and uncovering.” Babiak further explains that the reality show trend stems from an increasing self-consciousness: “TV is communication, not just entertainment. We have a complete sensory engagement with what is broadcasted, it’s part of our reality. When you’re watching TV, it’s like you are wearing that dress.” Once the backdrop to people’s lives, fashion has been projected into the foreground thanks to film media. We are more obsessed with fashion and its workings than ever before. Something has changed, but what? Either fashion has gained more depth, or our all-encompassing fascination with it shows that we live in a more superficial time.

Inspired by the ROM’s current celebrity theme, the fourth annual Eva Holtby Lecture provided a springboard for provocative analysis. In “Celebrity in Contemporary Culture,” Lewis Lapham, the celebrated American thinker, writer, and editor extraordinaire, offered a witty academic spin on the decidedly superficial phenomenon. The popular October 28 event filled the Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre to capacity. Eager viewers streamed into the overflow rooms to watch the event on CCTV. Lapham’s Quarterly, a pastiche of essays, literature, and historical texts, expounds the theory that everything happening now has happened before. He launched his speech with that idea in mind, likening celebrities to Greek gods; they enter into Faustian agreements in return for publicity and our ready consumption. “We are not talking about human beings,” he said, “but golden masks.”

He counterbalanced evocations from antiquity with examples ripped from political and pop culture headlines, running the gamut from Paris Hilton and O.J. Simpson to Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. Lapham drew on sage insights from Marshall McLuhan. In the electronic age, “names take precedence over things. It is the subject transformed into object. It is the actor, not the act.” The panel discussion featured Globe and Mail columnist Sarah Hampson, actor Don McKellar, and Ryerson film professor Murray Pomerance. Few of their topics engaged Lapham. An attendee hoping to brownnose his way into Lapham’s favour declared that he would not pay to see Britney Spears, but would have happily done so for Lapham. He asked Lapham about his own celebrity. Lapham shirks away from his status. “You have a great deal of freedom when you’re anonymous,” he replied. “When you become something of a commodity, you can’t change your mind as much as I do.”

the crossword

ANDREW GYORKOS

Happy Halloween from the guy who makes the croswords!

Across 1. Lycanthrope. 4. For many nerds, it’s the desired apocalypse. 8. Imps may serve under one. 11. Club for gun nuts. 12. Evil spirit. 13. Rock containing minerals. 14. Popular style of publishing. 15. Irate. 17. 1990 Patrick Swayze film. 19. 1979 film directed by Ridley Scott. 20. Unit of electrical impedance. 23. Lighting or thunder, for one. 25. Wear away. 28. ___-Aviv. 29. Dull 30. Singer/bassist of Motörhead. 32. Epoch. 34. Slice. 35. Sprint. 37. Broomstick pilot. 39. Ambient music pioneer Brian ___. 40. It could be easily confused with a zombie. 42. A disgruntled evil gnome. 43. Irish slang for Whiskey.

Down 1. Broad. 2. British recording label. 3. Queue 5. Emeril Lagasse’s favourite exclamation. 6. Ages and ages. 7. Count Orlok, for one. 9. Reject. 10. Pillage. 12. Minor expletive. 16. Corn or grain. 17. Excellent. 18. Take a seat. 21. Arnold Vosloo played one in 1999. 22. “___ else” (ultimatum). 23. The bottom of a foot. 24. John Goodman voiced a giant blue furry one in 2001. 26. The TTC’s blue line in the east. 27. Be killed. 29. Early 18th century composer. 30. Respiration organ. 31. Austin Powers was trying to retrieve his in “The Spy Who Shagged Me.” 33. Pirate booty. 35. Frightening sound from a lion. 36. Escape. 38. Basin. 41. Trilby or fedora.

the backpage

October 29, 2009

ALL OUT NOV 5

Reduced tuition fees Affordable child care Public housing

DAY OF ACTION

FOR

POVERTY-FREE

ONTARIO

A living wage Quality public healthcare

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ACTION

Employment equity

Meet-up and Rally 1:00 pm @ Sidney Smith Hall

Raise in social assistance rates

$JUZ 8JEF $POWFSHFODF BOE .BSDI 2:00 pm @ Convocation Hall, U of T

Fair Employment Insurance rates

Mass Rally 4:00 pm @ Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park Legislature

Join the movement!

Good jobs for all

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