This 22 minutes cost me $20

I just paid $20 to watch a half-hour TV show. Grrrr. It had better be good! As I mentioned before, I'm a big fan of Less Than Kind. For its first season, the program aired on City TV, but its audience numbers weren't stellar. Blame The Bachelorette, not a great lead-in for a quirky comedy set in Winnipeg. So the show has moved up the dial to HBO Canada, a better fit according to show writer/producer Mark McKinney. He's probably right. I just wish I didn't have to shell out $20 per month to MTS to see for myself. Ah well, I'm looking forward to the season premiere. Apparently Dave Foley has a cameo.

Don't forget to see Remember The Night

If you missed Remember The Night at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival two years ago, I highly recommend you catch the remount next month. Daniel Thau-Eleff penned this play, described as "equal parts murder-mystery, dark comedy and bittersweet love song to Winnipeg." It sold out its entire Fringe run, partly because it was in a tiny 60-seat venue. (I specifically remember this because I scored the very last advance ticket available). In his five-star review for CBC, my friend Kaj wrote it "mixes Woody Allen-style laughs with Tarantino-esque structure." I thought everything about the production was terrific - the multi-generational cast, the direction by Arne MacPherson, the innovative set, but most of all its poetic reflections on our imperfect and lonely city.

Remember The Night is showing at nightly at 8 p.m. from March 3 - 14 at 290 McDermot. They have a couple of matinees and PWYC shows. To find out how to reserve tickets, visit their website.

Hindsight is 2010

Let me state for the record that I am not generally all rah-rah about the 2010 Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I heart Clara Hughes as much as the next Winnipegger. (I also heart snowboarder and Dancing With The Stars contestant Louie Vito.) But as someone who appreciates the free speech aspect of living in Canada, I was saddened by the fact that, back in November, border officials detained journalist Amy Goodman for ninety minutes, grilling her about whether she would speak about the Olympics.

I am also not generally all rah-rah about McDonald's, for reasons not worth going into here. I just want to note the irony, as I have become totally rah-rah about the McDonald's Happy Meal 2010 Olympic mascot collectibles. There are eight different ones, and each performs a different sport.

My fave is Miga the figure skater. As you wheel her along, she spins. All eight hook together to make a train of Olympic cuteness. I should have started buying them three weeks ago when they were first available. Now the only ones left are Quatchi on the luge, and Sumi playing ice sledge hockey (which I didn't know was a sport).

My big regret is that these little plastic toys, which you could buy for less than 2 bucks if you forego the Happy Meal, are now selling on eBay for $20 each (including shipping). If you were smarter than me and bought the set, you can make a tidy profit online!

Whatever, H+M

Martin Cash at the Winnipeg Free Press reported today that H&M isn't setting up shop at Polo Park. Apparently they are looking for the "perfect location." Seriously? If 40,000 vacant square feet in our biggest mall isn't good enough then forget it. Someone call the good folks at Anthropologie and I'll just window-shop there instead!

Two dates to mark in your calendar

First, mark Sunday, March 21 on your calendar. That's the date of my favorite fundraiser of the year - the annual Over The Top! art auction and cupcake party at MAWA. I love the cheerful buzz as bargain-hungry art-lovers elbow their way past cupcake-laden tables to examine the work and devise their bidding strategies. In past years I've seen photographs by Diana Thorneycroft, prints by tamara rae biebrich and sculpture by Aganetha Dyck. A huge range of artists contribute, from well-known artstars to up-and-comers, so you're bound to fall in love with at least one piece. And with bidding starting at just $50, you can score some serious art deals. A few years ago we sweated out a silent bidding war over a tiny Wanda Koop painting, and emerged triumphant! Our "mini-Koop" now hangs happily in the hall. Over The Top! tickets are $10 and available at 611 Main Street. Or email me and I'll hook ya up.

Drop The Needle is back this month. On February 21, at 7 p.m., you can learn bookbinding from the multi-talented Chantale Maynard. The soundtrack of the evening is provided by organizer and D.J. extraordinaire Mama Cutsworth. See you at the Lo Pub!