Monthly Archives: October 2009

Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008

Being a fanatic fan of magazines (of any kind), Vanity Fair has been always one of favorites, both content-wise and of course visually. I still have a stack of them from many years ago.

The exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum was no exception and made me wonder how someone could take portraits that show so much emotion and motion, that could be so artistic and attractive to the eyes. Last Saturday, I took a short cultural trip to our beloved ROM – thanks to Lisa – to visit the stunning Vanity Fair exhibition, which had only opened a week prior.

The photography exhibit was compiled last year to honor the magazine’s 95th anniversary. It showcases 150 portraits of cultural, political and literate icons, ranging from Madonna to Albert Einstein and Frida Kahlo, as well as classic images from the magazine’s early period. Photographers include Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, and the incomparable Edward Steichen.

The exhibition runs until January 3, 2010. Do not miss it if you happen to be around the city.

S

P.S. My cultural activities over the weekend didn’t wrap up after this. Nuit Blanche happened on the very same night and lit up the city, with me wandering the streets under the fullest moon until the wee hours of the morning.

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“I once complained to my father that I didn’t seem able to do things the same way other people did. Dad’s advice? ‘Margo, don’t be a sheep. People hate sheep. They eat them.'”

— Margo Kaufman

48 Hours of *Bono-ism*

A review from two weeks ago… Better late than never!

To me, the concept of “celebrity” applies to rock stars. I always think of them as sexy and confidence as no-one else can be on stage in front of thousands of admirers. Some, though, are way beyond that — it really is their charisma that blows my mind away. Mr. Paul David Hewson (a.k.a. Bono) is one of them!

Almost two weeks ago, I had a privilege to see my all-time favorite band, the one and only U2, two nights in a row on their 360° tour at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Some might call it pure craziness or obsession. I call it die-hard ‘fandom’!!!

After a great opening performance by Snow Patrol, who can easily fill a venue themselves, Bono and his mates appeared on a truly stunning stage set, kicking off with a few new tracks from “No Line on The Horizon” before belting out old songs such as “Beautiful Day”, “Vertigo”, and “Sunday Bloody Sunday”. The latter was fully dedicated to the green movement in Iran and its people who are fighting for their freedom. The green light show and the images scrolling on the 360° screen made me tear up and feel incredibly grateful to be part of such an experience. To be honest, I find it hard to put those two nights into writing on this blog. All I can share here is that their performance hypnotized me and all their fans. As a reviewer noted in one of the newspapers the following day, it was a presentation that unfolded like “watching a music video happen right in front of you.”

As many of you know, I’ve been to many concerts in my all my years, but the live performance by the Irish legends was indeed *magnificent* and not in the same league as the ones I’ve seen before. They truly have it all with pride!

S

Conversation #26

– Have you heard of people who are romantically attracted to objects?
– You’re thinking of that woman, who fell in love with, and married the Eiffel Tower?
– Yes. So here is my question. What if somebody else falls in love with the Eiffel Tower and wants to get married?
– Well, that’s polygamy. There are laws about that.