Whatever state of singlism you are in: old and rusty, recently broken up, or an eager beaver; February gives you the opportunity to expand your horizons, meet new people, and hopefully create new sparks that captivate your eye.

We have a great party that’s upcoming that can give you a great opportunity to put some sparkle back into your dating life!

TorontoSpeedDate.com on February 11th is hosting a pre-Valentines bash in the downtown core.

Event: Pre- Valentines day bash

Where: Dazzling Restaurant 291 King Street West, Toronto Ontario

When: Feb 11th Ages 22-35 All proceeds will be going to support the Haitian Relief effort. You can expect great people, a good time, and a chance to win some prizes!

Go to TorontoSpeedDate.com to register now! Feb 11th is only a couple days away!

The Toronto Just For Laughs Festival presented by WestJet features international headliners John Cleese, Sarah Silverman, John Leguizamo, Louis CK, Bo Burnham, and John Pinette; ethnic superstars such as Danny Bhoy, Steve Byrne, Rachel Feinstein, Godfrey, Akmal Saleh, as well as Paul Varghese, Sunil Pal, and Papa CJ performing in Hindi; and Canada’s very own, Shaun Majumder, Jeremy Hotz, Nikki Payne, Colin Mochrie, Sugar Sammy, Jon Dore, Frank Spadone and Debra DiGiovanni, who will host the Homegrown Canadian Comics competition.

• July 3: Madagascar 2
• July 10: Hotel For Dogs
• July 17: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
• July 24: Kung Fu Panda
• July 31: City of Ember
• August 7: Space Chimps
• August 14: Horton Hears A Who
• August 21: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
• August 28: Meet Dave

Please check the Downsview Park website for more details:  http://downsviewpark.ca/en/events/calendar.cfm

Directions to the park:  http://downsviewpark.ca/en/contactus.cfm#map

Cyanosis
D: Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami / Iran / 32 min
A stylistically-told tale of a love-sick Iranian street artist brought to life with brilliant animated sequences.
INNIS Thu Apr 24 7:15 PM
INNIS Sat Apr 26 7:15 PM

Mechanical Love
D: Phie Ambo / Denmark / 79 min
The intimate and complex relationships between therapeutic robots and humans are explored, raising some very provocative questions. Can robots offer a substitute for human affection? Meet Paro, a needy robotic baby seal, and believe that it’s possible.
Screening with: Peter and Ben
D: Pinny Grylls / UK / 10 min
CUMBERLAND Thu Apr 24 7:00 PM
ROYAL Sat Apr 26 2:00 PM

Vesterbro
D: Michael Noer / Denmark / 78 min
Twenty-something do-nothings Julie and Martin take us into their hearts and under their covers in this honest, and often uncomfortably funny, look at their tumultuous relationship. Real love struggles against real life in this most modern love story.
ROYAL Wed Apr 23 9:30 PM
BLOOR Thu Apr 24 11:59 PM

Venues:
- The Scene Screening Room at the Isabel Bader Theatre: 93 Charles Street West
- The Al Green Theatre: Inside the Miles Nadal JCC – 750 Spadina Avenue
- The Winter Garden Theatre: 189 Yonge Street
- The Bloor Cinema: 506 Bloor St West
- Cumberland Cinemas: 159 Cumberland Street
- The Royal Cinema: 608 College Street
- The Rom Theatre: 100 Queen’s Park
- Innis Town Hall: 2 Sussex Avenue

Ticket info:
Daytime Screenings Tickets (before 6 pm) are $10, evening screenings (between 6 pm-11 pm) are $12 and Late Night Screenings (after 11PM) are $5. Order advance tickets and pass sales at the DOCUMENTARY Box Office (87 Avenue Road, 2 Blocks North of Bloor, upper level of Hazelton Lanes), online at www.hotdocs.ca, or by phone at 416-637-5150. ALL DAYTIME screenings (before 6pm) are FREE FOR STUDENTS and seniors. Students that want to take advantage of this great offer MUST have a valid student ID. Students and Seniors can ONLY obtain tickets at the screening venue on the day of the screening, subject to availability. FREE TICKETS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE DOCUMENTARY BOX OFFICE.

Visit www.hotdocs.ca for further information and detailed film descriptions.

Uniqueness is only true when you have experienced other venues enabling you to compare. The Reservoir Lounge is a one-off. There is no other venue in the world like it. The Reservoir Lounge has innovatively set the standard in Toronto for Swing Jazz and Jump Blues.

The open upright Piano sitting dominantly on the 12-inch high stage can be seen from every seating area in the house. You can’t but feel as though you are part of the venue and have every bit of importance as the band themselves. The audience is the unique factor in this whole equation.

The Reservoir Lounge on Wellington Street is on the same level as the internationally famous bourbon street in New Orleans. You don’t have to fly on a jet plane to St. Louis, Chicago or New Orleans to have a taste of great swing jazz and superb fusion cuisine.

People visit the Reservoir Lounge from all over Greater Toronto, surrounding suburbs and as far away as from International countries, to be part of the Swing Jazz era for an evening.

The Reservoir Lounge is therefore home to not only the performers but also hundreds of regular patrons from greater Toronto and from countries far away. Top headliner entertainers have come to pay a visit as well. Word gets around to all corners of the globe.

One night after a full evening of entertaining thousands of people at the Roy Thomson hall, Tom Jones and his friends dropped by the Reservoir. After a few minutes, the bandleader welcomed Tom to the room and asked if he would get up on stage to sing an old favorite. A few hours later, Tom Jones is still on stage singing away his originals from over the years, and loving every moment of it, and just as much as the audience.

Peter O’Toole has been a distinguished guest at the Reservoir Lounge during a film project at Toronto in the year 2000. Prince, Rod Stewart, Nick Nolte, Chas Palmetieri, Gary Busey, Colin James, Carla Colins, Alanna Myles, are all outstanding examples of renowned performers casually dropping by at the Reservoir.

Where:  Reservoir Lounge
Address: 52 Wellington St. E, (West of Church), Toronto ON
Phone: 416-955-0887
When:  Monday, 8.00 pm – 2.00 am ; Live music starts at 9.30 pm ; no cover charge
Tuesday to Thursday, 8.00 pm – 2.00 am ; Live music starts at 9.30 pm ; $5 cover all evening
Friday & Saturday, 7.30 pm – 2.00 am ; Live music starts at 9.30 pm ; $7 cover before 9.00 pm, $10 after
Parking:  Street and public parking nearby
Price: Mondays No Cover, Tue-Thurs $5, Fri & Sat $10
Website: http://www.reservoirlounge.com/  and http://www.bartowel.com/regions/pubs/reservoir.phtml
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Why:  Lively crowd, Jazz music almost every day of the week, great show times, excellent after work environment

 
View Larger Map

Established in 1992, Chalkers is your destination for a great Pub, Billiards, and Bistro experience, where adults can wine, dine, dance and have fun. Chalkers provides high quality food, drinks and entertainment for social gatherings in an upscale, yet casual environment.

Chalkers Pub Billiards & Bistro emphasizes a high energy environment with fourteen billiard tables, free access to high-speed wireless Internet, satellite and cable coverage of a variety of sporting events, a large and accommodating dance floor, and on-going, top quality entertainment and promotions.

Chalkers features one of North York’s largest and trendiest patios, multiple cocktail lounges, a cozy dining lounge, and the grand billiard room, all serviced by our professional and courteous staff. The polished brass accents, warm lighting and rich wood finished interior set the mood for all occasions.

Where: Chalkers Pub
Address:  247 Marlee Avenue. Toronto, ON
Phone: 416.789.2531
When:   Jazz performances every Sunday from 7-10 p.m.
Parking: Street and public parking lots nearby
Price: Event is free, but you’ll have to pay for food/drinks in order to stay
Website: http://www.chalkerspub.com/dispatcher.asp?page=5&sub=12
Why: Huge outdoor patio, Jazz music to finish the weekend off

View Larger Map

Experience the enchantment of Nights of Fire, magically created by Cie Carabosse, France’s acclaimed fire art troupe in Toronto for their North American premiere. Fuel the flames of your imagination as you wander among intricate sculptures of metal, clay and fire that will transform Nathan Phillips Square into a wonderland of warmth and light.

The gentle illumination of the entire square will unfold over three hours as clay pots are individually lit until 1500 burn in unison, radiating heat and reflective beauty across the urban landscape.Haunting musical performances will accompany the fire installation, delicately enhancing the magic and wonder of the flames.

“On nights of fire, the audience discovers a magic previously unexplored. Eyes reflect the sparkle in the flames, and minds open to the surrounding beauty. Soak in the images and experience the emotions. Reflect. Absorb. Enjoy.”

What: Night’s of Fire
Where: Nathan Philips Square, 100 Queen Street West. Toronto, ON
When:  January 25 and 26.  February 1 and 2.  6-9 pm
Parking: Street and underground parking nearby.
Price: Free
Website: http://www.toronto.ca/special_events/wintercity/garden.htm
Why: You can watch experts play with fire without burning your house or yourself down

View Larger Map

During the past few months, I’ve shouted at you, letting y’all know what shows to see, where, and when. Over the weekend, the thought dawned on me that perhaps my particular- and oft peculiar- taste is not exactly in sync with LoveInToronto.com’s general readership, nor should it be. Music is the universal language, but it is also deeply personal and highly individual. With that logic in mind, I present to you my primer on how to find out about shows and buy tickets for anything and everything that our multicultural, cosmopolitan metropolis has to offer.

What do you want to see?

Really, Reader, that’s up to you. Toronto’s ticketed offerings are plentiful. The world’s best touring artists make regular stops here, as does every Canadian act at every “stage” of making it. That’s not to mention the home-grown talent we have right here in our backyard. And while I personally tend to enjoy concerts more than any other form of entertainment, the sky’s the limit. You can take in a theatre show, musical or otherwise, an opera, a dance, a symphony orchestra, a comedy, an independent film, or even an exhibit in one of hundreds of area art galleries. Research is the key. Look into it, and you’ll find an experience tailor-made for you. Be adventurous, and you’ll be rewarded. Tread the road less taken, and you’ll discover treasures all your own.

Print

I usually start by looking into free, weekly, independent NOW Magazine and its little brother, TorStar-owned Eye Weekly. These well-written, finger on the pulse rags have got it all: previews, reviews, and announcements about what’s in town to do and see. There is also gay weekly Xtra, as well as art directories MAG (Mass Art Guide) and Slate and, I’m sure, dozens of other free competitors, on top of mainstays like the Star and Sun. However, as far as being free and thoroughly Toronto are concerned, NOW’s your best bet (the ads alone will keep you totally up T.O. date).

Web

On the web, there’s LoveInToronto.com, of course, but I also recommend, first and foremost, http://www.zoilus.com/. The site of Globe and Mail critic and editor Carl Wilson, Zoilus is an unmatched resource.  Sharing the top acts of the week, and including reviews and criticism, Wilson’s This Week’s Top Shows is not to be messed with. It’s a rock-solid index of the best of what’s around, and his picks and advice are consistently on the money.

Also on the web is http://www.pollstar.com/. More for mainstream acts on a by-search basis, if you type “Toronto” into their handy search feature, you’ll get a list of what’s on, mostly at established venues like the Horseshoe, El Mo, Mod Club, Lee’s, Phoenix, and Opera House. While ignoring anything too fringe, Pollstar’s search could give me enough to recommend dozens of shows to you.

Rounding out my web secrets is http://www.jambase.com/. Again, you have to specify Toronto in your search, but once you’re there, the Base provides a fairly comprehensive list of what’s live on any given day or night. Like Pollstar, Jambase eschews acts and venues that are more “off the beaten track,” but don’t worry: I have still more tricks up my sleeve.

Ticket Agents

Another excellent Toronto-only resource available in-person or online is record shop Rotate This. Located at 620 Queen West, just west of Bathurst, Rotate This is in the ticket business in a big way. If you go to their website at http://www.rotate.com/tickets.php, you’ll find what’s on sale in our city, what it costs, and what’s sold out. You can pick up your tickets in person with a ticket surcharge so reasonable it makes the ’master look like even more of an evil monolith. Competitor Soundscapes at 572 College does the same job without the web presence.

In addition…

Having covered my bases, I would be remiss not to mention the real ways I find out what I want to see and do. Posters, plastered on every free surface throughout the city, are a big help, as is keeping my eyes and ears open. I also subscribe to the mailing lists and regularly check the sites of my favourite acts to make sure I’m in the loop.

Honestly, I make most of my decisions about how to spend my hard-earned and sacred entertainment budget based on word of mouth buzz. If my friends like something, they forward me a myspace address, and if we both think it’s hot, that’s a sure sign I’m going to check it out. Most people tend to befriend those with similar taste, so ask around. Are your friends going to see any shows in the next little while? Is there anything they have seen and would recommend? The same goes for family, co-workers, TTC employees… or anyone else. Keep an open mind, and you won’t be disappointed. Then you’ll be able to see acts that are meaningful to you, enrich your life, deepen your cultural exchange, and enliven our otherwise dull existence. So get out there: see, and be the scene.