How to manage expectations, or not. The TTC, Tuesday: Be cool, everyone, this is just a soft launch, a preview period, not the official opening-opening. The Premier's Office, today: 📯 🎆 📯 🎆 📯 🎆 📯 🎆

The National NewsMedia Council has upheld a complaint about Bryan Passifiume's use of the phrase "violent, far-left radicals" in a news report: www.mediacouncil.ca/decisions/20...

There's gotta be a dozen Southern Ontario crime reporters now jockeying to get out the first book / podcast / Toronto Life cover story:

The best part is how the admonishment came almost as an afterthought, as he was about to end the call:

The Epstein files includes a Rosie DiManno column about Sarah Thomson's unsubstantiated allegations against Steve Paikin: www.justice.gov/epstein/file... [pdf]

I got into Star Trek a year too late to catch the TNG finale at the SkyDome, so this'll have to do.

In BC, you need only two sitting members for a party to get official status. So what happens when 50% of a two-person caucus loses confidence in the leader (i.e., the other half of the caucus)? Hijinks! pressprogress.ca/dallas-brodi...

TO Live tells me that, despite co-commissioning the show for US$50,000, Illinoise will sadly not be mounted in Toronto for the foreseeable future. "Unfortunately, a planned national tour did not materialize, so there is currently no production available for us to present."

Canadian Psychiatric Association creating new complexes by blasting out this message in error:

The Toronto Public Library has purchased the old WE Charity headquarters at Queen & Parliament to convert into a new branch: blogs.tpl.ca/news-release...

If I had the time and resources to go anywhere and do anything, I too would hang out at U.S. Supreme Court hearings:

Real "Christmastime for the Jews"–type vibe on the streets of Toronto tonight, as those less invested in the cultural master narrative take advantage of the free rein.

The Ford government has announced plans to shred a bunch of tenant protections: news.ontario.ca/assets/files... (pdf, see p. 13-15)

Like the end of Roger Ebert's review of Last Night:

The lower third reads as though written by an innumerate Mario:

In light of Canada's recognition, The Canadian Press has revised its guidance on the use of "Palestine":

There's been a predictably vicious right-wing backlash to a U of T professor's tweet about Charlie Kirk — except evidence suggests she wasn't talking about Kirk at all: pressprogress.ca/university-o...

During the post-screening Q&A at The Road Between Us, the crowd drowned out moderator Lisa Laflamme with boos when she mentioned 64,000 Palestinian deaths. Avrich says it's not a political film, but that response says all you need. #tiff50

I don't know exactly what is happening here, and maybe the site is experiencing a really unfortunate error, but this subheading could use some revision.

Linda Schuyler, the co-creator of ‘Degrassi,’ is suing to stop the TIFF world premiere of the documentary ‘Degrassi: Whatever It Takes.’ She has denied allegations in the film about child actors not being paid fairly.

I have to say, I was not expecting a relatively candid admission that the film “just didn’t make the cut” in the first instance and that Avrich was able to demand a second look, explicitly resulting in the CEO overriding the programming staff.

Cameron Bailey is finally asked whether the Barry Avrich doc got into the festival on its merits or because of Avrich's connections, and his answer amounts to "Ehhh…" www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/ti...

"Wasps Everywhere"

To commemorate a legendary comedian who died of a heart attack, a burger with deep-fried bacon: www.thestar.com/entertainmen...

An annual highlight of the Queen's Park summer lull is that CP's Liam Casey gets to return to the Marineland beat: www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/ano...

On the eve of TIFF, this functions as the best explanation I've seen for why it sucks now: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/o...

As an efficient alternative to Yondr pouches, I'll take it:

For too long have Chinatown's late-night options been dominated by independent Chinese restaurants.

"Co-creator Jean-François Asselin has moved the action to Toronto from Montreal for the English version, but not adapted it sufficiently. So 15-year-old kids still drink with their parents at restaurants, and a major plot point hinges on circus school." www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article...

CAJ condemns targeted killing of journalists in Gaza. Read full statement on CAJ website: https://caj.ca/caj-condemns-targeted-killing-of-journalists-in-gaza

Today's Globe includes a Q&A with a Palestinian cookbook author who's been calling "atten­tion to the dev­ast­a­tion in Gaza, par­tic­u­larly the forced star­va­tion." Online, the mention of "forced starvation" has been removed and a correction issued: www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-an...

An actual movie forthcoming from the co-director of Uncut Gems:

What are we putting as the over/under for the lineups? Five hours?

Being exactly 40 years old at the Scissor Sisters and Kesha show means I don't know which act I'm supposed to be a fan of and which I am supposed to find just pleasantly amusing.

Announced today, this is almost certainly the first Palestinian film to play in the Galas section at TIFF: www.tiff.net/films/palest...

Scorsese may have abandoned his SCTV documentary, but at least we're getting a feature-length look at the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell from the grandson of Herman Mankiewicz: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOsu...

Possibly because they're shooting a TIFF ad in the lobby, the video screens at the Scotiabank are cycling through posters for nonexistent films, at least a couple of which are from Seinfeld:

It was already funny that the Lightbox was charging $38 a ticket to see Guillermo del Toro introduce screenings of Canadian horror films, but it's even funnier now that he's no longer showing up to any in person:

Because this isn't how the Ontario Provincial Police usually frames its bulletins, I'm gonna assume the reference was deliberate:

Everything about this is perfect:

Outside Toronto's Israeli consulate, a group of journalists launches Canadian Journalists for Justice in Palestine.

This is a masterclass in nonfiction, investigative comedy: nymag.com/intelligence...

The union at the Canadian Press wire service says that some of its members "can no longer afford to live in the communities where they work and report."

Suffice to say that Toronto does not transcend Canadian stereotypes as much as we'd like to think.

Not sure how this premise sustains a 50-minute play (as opposed to, say, two minutes of 22 Minutes), but I'm intrigued: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/...

In addition to apparel and "acccessories," the Toronto Star is now selling Canadian flags: starstore.ca/products/can...

"brash yet beloved" www.netflix.com/title/81763683

Stratford's new Macbeth is set amidst the Quebec biker wars of the 1990s, and so opening night festivities include a "motorcycle parade":

Finally, a Saturday Night Live sketch inspired by a six-year-old @stratfest.bsky.social tweet.