Rocking the Vinyl on HBO

 Vinyl . J.C. MacKenzie (Front Left) as Skip Fontaine, Ray Romano as Zak Yankovich, Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra.  Photo: Niko Tavernise/HBO. You may have heard already that Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese have teamed up with Rich Cohen and Terence Winter to create a series on HBO that offers insight

The new Industria at Lansdowne strikes a brilliant balance

 Stepping into Industria Italian Brasserie for the new Lansdowne restaurant’s grand opening Wednesday night, I probably should have gone up to one of the hosts and asked about seating. Instead I spent a good few seconds staring at the building’s impressively looming ceiling, made up of painted-black pipes. The pipe-covered

Be Glued to the Tube for Para Normal

 Photo courtesy of TVO Hats off to local filmmaker Rostyslav Makushak for winning the 2015 TV Ontario (TVO) Short Docs contest with his film Para Normal. Makushak beat out 126 other submissions in the competition. The theme for this year’s TVO contest, which is aimed at aspiring documentary makers, was

The Kids are Alright

 Photo credit: David Hawe There is only one place you should be on Sunday night at 8 p.m. and that is at the National Arts Centre to catch the only Ottawa performance by Kids in The Hall (KITH). Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson have

Chiu, Maas Tasked with Improving Redblacks

 Jason Maas fields questions at a press conference. Photo credit: Lucy Scholey/Metro The Ottawa Redblacks will assign the arduous task of improving their offence on the respective shoulders of Bryan Chiu and Jason Maas. Chiu, who was hired as the team’s new offensive line coach on Dec. 23, held the

The New Home Build: Decisions, Decisions!

 With a very detailed DesignerDIY action plan in place and following my recent new home purchase, the hunt for the perfect post-purchase upgrades begin. Starting with the main floor, the kitchen was the first order of business. There are several cost-saving design measures you can implement into your new home

Samantha Testa: Sing Your Soul Out

 Samantha Testa, 21, is a bona fide pop rocker. Writing music, playing guitar and piano and singing her soul out is just another day in the life for this young Ottawa talent. From singing for the American and Canadian Women’s Olympic Hockey teams to co-writing with Suzie McNeil from Rock

Virtual Unreality Product of Mixed Media Marriage

 By Martti Lahtinen News junkies will remember Global TV anchor Peter Trueman signing off with the op-ed tag on his nightly report: “That is not news, but that, too, is reality.” Television didn't send a mixed message in the 1970s and '80s; the straight end-piece was dispensed without visual aids,

The Entertainment Titans: Television vs.The Performing Arts

 Can we love both? Television continues to be one of the biggest determinants and proponents of entertainment culture in our society. With hundreds of TV channels offering too many shows to count, all for an (overpriced) monthly fee, it’s easy to become addicted to this colourful medium. However, those of

Ireland Welcomes You Home

 Your Irish Heritage Is Waiting To Be Discovered. It seemed fitting to take my daughter on a trip to Ireland to explore the land of her paternal ancestors. Thanks to the mild oceanic climate, the south and south west of Ireland are a beautiful lush green carpet peppered with towns,