In a weird way, you can look at the glory years of SCTV as a love letter to the city of Edmonton. Sure, it was a twisted, madcap love letter, but for head writer Dave Thomas and his crew, the SCTV Edmonton era was a special one. Whether it was being able to reimagine Edmonton as a Soviet burg, or transforming the city’s downtown into a New York streetscape — Thomas and his collaborators found comfort and inspiration from a city that was far away from the prying Toronto eyes of CBC or the Los Angeles and New York execs of NBC. Thomas’s...
Dave Thomas, the man who made “take off, eh!” part of our national lexicon, will be honoured for his contribution to film and television in Alberta. Thomas was a writer and actor with the seminal sketch-comedy show SCTV, when it was based in Edmonton throughout the early ‘80s. On Wednesday, the Alberta Media Production Industries Association announced that the highlight of its 40th-anniversary celebration will be a Special Achievement Award for Thomas. The Ontario-born SCTV alumnus will be honoured as part of the “Rosies,”...
The No. 1 lesson from Western Canada Fashion Week so far? Snow-magddeon can’t stop Edmonton’s fashionistas from flocking to the runways. Fashion Week only happens twice a year in Edmonton and it’s not to be missed — the opening night, Thursday, March 21, saw a full house. But it was Friday’s collections that really caught our attention. Friday night’s show started with executive creative director Sandra Sing Fernandes and honourary chair Lynn Mandel welcoming the crowd. Then came a...
Two thousand people packed the Shaw Conference Centre today, all eager to hear whether Mayor Stephen Mandel would run again for a fourth term in this fall's municipal election. The place was full of strong opinions from both sides, speculating on his next move. But when Mandel took the stage, he announced he's still undecided. But that doesn't mean his passion or opinions on current affairs are any less strong. "Today, I'll talk about what I plan to stand up for and the state of the city," said Mandel. He continued to give a candid account of the...
Edmonton will host the opening ceremonies of the largest women’s sporting event on the planet, the Women’s World Cup, on June 6, 2015. The announcement was made Thursday at City Hall. Edmonton is one of six host cities for the 2015 Women’s World Cup, but Commonwealth Stadium will host the most games, 11 in total. BC Place in Vancouver gets the final, but Edmonton will host the opening ceremonies, the opening game (which will feature Canada), Canada’s second game of the tournament, a semifinal on Canada Day 2015 and the third-place game. Even...
As the editor of Avenue, I get to go to quite a few fundraisers and/or social occasions. But, for me, the Storybook Ball is special because it’s a night that I don’t need to call the sitter — because it’s meant to be shared with the entire family. The second annual Storybook Ball was held at the Shaw Conference Centre Saturday, March 2. More than 350 attendees helped raise more than $45,000 for Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home-away-from-home...
More than 100 chains of light and several dozen sculptural glass vessels hang from the northwest corner of Simons in West Edmonton Mall, undulating with the flow of people. According to artist and architect, Philip Beesley, whose work has appeared internationally, the art installation, Simons Aurora, is an interactive environment. It looks like a combination of ice crystals and a coral reef — it even acts like the latter — the crystalline tentacles are fitted with hundreds of sensors, which...
Every February, hopeless romantics embrace red roses and gourmet chocolates, while cynics grumble about Valentine’s Day not being a “real” holiday. Only one thing is certain: Edmontonians have strong opinions about the day, whether they celebrate it or not. Respondents to Avenue Edmonton’s online survey were divided on almost every issue relating to Valentine’s Day – for some it’s a holiday not to be missed, while others see it as just another day. Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? 63%...
A piece of history was unveiled today at West Edmonton Mall. The late Princess Diana’s wedding dress was carefully unpacked so it could be put on display as part of Diana: A Celebration, an award-winning exhibit recognizing Princess Diana’s life and work. The dress, known as “the dress of the century,” is one of the focal points of the exhibit and the first piece to be revealed to the press....
The programmers of this year’s Global Visions Film Festival made some educated guesses — and their picks came up golden. Included in the documentary film festival’s picks for 2013 are The Gatekeepers and How to Survive a Plague — which have both been nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar. The festival runs from Feb. 27 to March 3, and its brass unveiled the film lineup to the media on Friday, Feb. 1. Of course, festivals have to make their picks long in advance of announcing...
