Saturday, 21 April 2012

Donate Today and Win!

Today is D-Day. Donation Day, that is! Donate $25 or more to The More the Merrier Arts Radio, and you will have a chance to win tickets to TIFF Hitchcock Master Classes with Guillermo del Toro (courtesy of TIFF) or a pair of tickets to the surtitled (listen in French, follow in English) performance of  "The Pain in the Ass/L'Emmerdeur" (courtesy of Theatre Francais de Toronto).  TODAY: 1-2pm. 416-946-7800/1-888-204-8976 or www.ciut.fm

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Put Your Money Where Your Ears Are: Support The More the Merrier Arts Radio on Sat. April 21st!

CIUT 89.5 FM Spring Membership Drive is now on!  If you're able to donate $25 or more and become a member of CIUT  you would be helping me towards my show's membership goal (and maybe win some great swag); however, since The More the Merrier is a show that supports artists it's only fair that, like artists, I offer the opportunity to Donate-What-You-Can.

Pledges can be made RIGHT NOW: on line at www.ciut.fm using a credit card or Pay Pal, by calling 416-946-7800 or toll free 1-888-204-8976 or in person at the CIUT office at 7 Hart House Circle. Be sure to list The More the Merrier as your favourite show! You can also feel free to contact me at tmtmshow@gmail.com and I'll be more than happy to fill out your donation form for you! 

If this is your first time visiting this page, have a look at some of the older posts and have a listen to the latest podcast  at http://www.ciut.fm/index.php/shows-2/the-more-the-merrier-tmtm/

Cheers!
donna g, Host/Producer,
The More the Merrier Arts Radio
Saturdays, 1-2pm
CIUT 89.5 FM

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Aravind Adiga's "The White Tiger" A Book Club Winner

The The More the Merrier's Book Club was successfully launched with Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger. Joining me for the on air discussion were bloggers, Heidy M (Hyesmusings.blogspot.com) and Khamal M (TheJuxtapositionApe.blog.com), and Marek Saulig, my former (now on call) technical operator. The social satire set in India, and dealing with the shenanigans of Balram, a murder, thinker and entrepreneur made for a lively discussion about social status, politics and nerve. As will all future TmTm Book Club selections, The White Tiger is readily available at the Toronto Public Library, your local new/used book stores, or on line. Stay tuned for our next selection...


Listen to our discussion:

Rating: Buy or Borrow? 2 buys: Khamal M, and donna g; 2 borrows: Heidy M, and Marek

May I recommend the following books for those interested in an Indian setting:


...and, of course, any of Balram aka The White Tiger's favourite poets Rumi, Iqbal, Mirza, and Ghalib. Happy reading!

BOOK LIST (clockwise from top to bottom)
Sisters of the Sari by Brenda L. Baker, Climbing the Mango Tree by Madhur Jaffrey, Tamarind Mem by Anita Rau Badami, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai, The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama, The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall, and India Authentic. The Book of Shiva by Deepak Chopra

Saturday, 31 March 2012

Book Club Selection: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I hope you have been reading along with the rest of The More the Merrier Book Club; if you haven't there is still time to join in.  On Saturday, April 14th (1-2pm on CIUT 89.5 FM or www.ciut.fm), I'll be joined by a few TmTm on-air regulars to discuss Aravind Adiga's debut novel, The White Tiger. Winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize, this lively social satire is set in modern India, and most precisely into the world of Belram  Halwai, a "self-taught entrepreneur", servant, and murderer. There is a laugh on every page, but not everything in this story is funny. Through Belram's narration, we travel from the Darkness (inhabited by the poor) to the Light (inhabited by the rich and their pets), into areas and themes as complex as India's caste system.

The White Tiger is available in regular/LARGE PRINT, and CD through the Toronto Public Library http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ or at your local used/new bookstore.






Friday, 30 March 2012

Shorts at High Noon

As the poster proclaims, The Canadian Film Festival is back and for 2012 it's got some wonderful short films for you to check out. The longest film is only 14 minutes and with such talent on display there will be no time for boredom at The Royal Cinema in "the heart of Little Italy".

How can you resist a title like Everybody Wing Chun Tonight? Well, don't even try. From the womanist 3-minute Ming Dynasty martial arts drama (Win Chun), the comic machinations of an opera diva seeking solace form the stage (Natalie Choquette in The Perfect Vacuum), vengeful UFOs in Devolution: Reckoning and experimental dance in Phase to Rom-Com public transit dramas like Long Branch,  relationship pieces like Sonata for ChristianOnion Skin (the director is only 16!) and Hangnail (filmed in a single shot), there is something for everyone. Included in this goody grab bag of films is a flashback to the 1930's with Rosie Takes the Train, directed by none other than CIUT 89.5 FM alumni, Stephen Phillip Scott. We CIUT-ers are everywhere! Stephen used to co-DJ an overnight show back in the day, when CIUT broadcast from the attic at 91 St. George Street.  Ask him about it at the Q & A after the screenings.

THE CANADIAN FILM FESTIVAL: SHORTS SCREENING

WHEN: Saturday, March 30, 12:00noon
WHERE: The Royal Cinema, 608 College Street West
TICKETS: $12.50 (taxes included) Available at the door (cash only) or via www.totix.ca or visit their booth at Yonge/Dundas Square.

NOTE: All screenings are restricted to 18+.

Complete info: www.canfilmfest.ca

Thursday, 22 March 2012

Who's Into French Shorts?


Cinéfranco kicks off tonight with a Franco-Ontarian comedy,  La Sacrée by Dominic Desjardins and a Québecois drama, Trash/Décharge directed by Benoit Pilon; however, if you're just dipping your toes into foreign language films, and think a feature-length film might be too much for your first time out, why not give some short films a try. Several shorts will be screened before some feature films, but Cinéfranco has two short film programmes for you to check out. Film are screened with English subtitles.


Short Films 1/Courts Métrages 1 The selection vary from the futuristic Canadian (A Persona) in which viewers control who gets cast in a movie, another Canadian film (Patsy), a choreographed piece about life truths, a Moroccan fable (Mokhtar) about a rebellious goatherd, a Malian focus (Tinye So) on displeased ancestors watching the goings on in present-day Bamako, and a look at post-colonial relations (A Ton Vieux Cul De Negre!/Up Your Black Arse!) as seen through exchanges between two retirees (one Congolese, one Belgian).


Following the screening, there will be a FREE round table discussion by several of the filmmakers about "The Challenges of Making A Short Film".   


WHEN: Saturday, March 24, 11:00 am 
WHERE: TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 king Street (corner of King and John) 
TICKETS: $12/ Seniors and Students with ID $10




Short Films 1/Courts Métrages 2 There are 4 Canadian shorts represented in this 5 film section: Bip Bip/Beep Beep is the sound of love being disturbed by technology; Mandala Mon Amour/Mandala My Love is a beautiful animated piece about a Russian immigrant that  blends art with science; Mauser is an inter-generational drama about a World War 11 vet and a young gamer; and Skeket deals with a young girl's imaginings of her family's past in Tunisia. Also included in this programme is Jean-Jacques (Cameroon) about a young woman dreaming of a better life Europe, dreams which are fed by a Parisian connection made via the Internet. 


WHEN: Sunday, March 25, 11:00 am 
WHERE: TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 king Street (corner of King and John) 
TICKETS: $12/ Seniors and Students with ID $10




March 23 - April 1
www.cinefranco.com
416-599-8433
All Films Are Subtitled in English
 


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