Becoming….

Published May 21, 2019 by lorimuma

To quote the great Michelle Obama it’s never to late to find what you were meant to become.

I feel like it’s been forever since I have even opened this site. I didn’t even think that I would remember the password, but here I am back and sitting in a coffee shop on the first beautiful day of 2019.

Over the past six plus months I have been thinking about getting back to blogging, thinking about what I would want to write, when to write or if anyone would even read it.

Lots of things have happened to me so far in 2019. I became mortgage free (!!!) something that really didn’t hit me until this month. Had a very minor surgery, but a surgery non the less, and recently became an aunt to a beautiful baby girl. I have been able to get back to work on my side gigs of live events and Toronto Blue Jays, and recently began looking into what I really want to do for the second half of my life.

One thing that keeps coming back to me is thinking about what I am passionate about. Things that I enjoy doing, that don’t feel like work and make me excited to get out of bed.

When I talk to my friends and family it always comes back to one thing. Pop culture, entertainment, music and movies. I love when they come to me to ask me what I think about this show, that movie or the recent celebrity scandal. Nothing makes me cringe more than when I overhear people in lunchrooms, restaurants, or public transit talking about entertainment information that is full of errors.

So it seems that my passion has been stuck inside my head to get out.

So now is the to get the negative out of my head and out into the world.

Somewhere inside of me is a pop culture critic / writer. It’s time for her to get out.

Here goes.

AC2 Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen – A Review

Published March 25, 2018 by lorimuma

On Saturday March 24 I attended the first show outside of the US of the Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen talkfest, AC2. Taking place at the Sony Centre I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve been a fan of both of them for years. Those who know me know how much I love my daily dose of CNN and the Housewives. When I got the tickets in November I was super excited, then New Years happened and I had my doubts. To say that Anderson and Andy lacked chemistry and were as boring as watching paint dry would be an understatement.

So here I was with an almost sold out Sony Centre, made up of mostly women 30+ ready to hear deep talk and shallow tales, let’s be honest, I was there for the shallow tales. Starting right after 8pm with a video showing the different upbringings these two had. Andy a middle class celebrity obsessed kid from St Louis and Anderson, a Vanderbilt and New York City royalty

How they came to work in TV to where they are today., best friends for over 20years.

With two chairs and table full of drinks, they were ready to begin a 2 hour plus night of funny and entertaining stories.

We heard stories about threatening emails from Tori Spelling, advice from the Judd’s, how Anderson could have missed covering hurricane Katrina by almost drowning off the coast of Croatia after a night partying and what it’s like to interview Trumps mistresses. How both Nicole Kidman and Celine Dion will probably never appear on Watch What Happens Live. A show by the way that I am forced to listen to on a podcast because no Canadian channels will pick it up.

There were lots of Trump stories, but not as many that I thought, which was good. During the Q&A several important topics were discussed. Such as why did BFF Kelly Ripa stop following “friend” Jessica Seinfeld of all social media accounts and not have her on Live to promote her new cookbook? They said they didn’t know (but they clearly did) . The Kathy Griffin mess. Andy wanted to say more, but Anderson interrupted and said she wishes her the best and is happy that she is touring again blah blah. Side note, I am going to see Kathy May 25, so hopefully she will offer a better version. Finally if Andy had any thought about the disaster that was The Real Housewives of Toronto. Thankfully he said the he had not a single episode and had no idea about anything related to it.

When it finished I can honesty say it was a great event. It exceeded my expectations and left me wishing they stayed chatting for another hour. Also it confirmed that my Housewives knowledges is top notch!

I not only recommend seeing AC2, I can’t wait for them to come back to Toronto.

4.5/5

Depeche Mode – September 3 2017

Published September 4, 2017 by lorimuma

As summer draws to an end, so does my summer concerts. One show that I have been looking forward to for months was Depeche Mode, at the Air Canada Centre. I have been a fan of this band since the 80’s but for some reason have not seen them live yet. That is why I was so happy to finally after all these years to see them.

As the band took the stage promptly at 8:45pm the crowd mostly made up of people between 40 – 60 years of age were ready to hear the songs from the 80’s and 90’s. Unfortunately that didn’t really happen. As someone said in the audience “its seems that they have catalogue of music after Violator that nobody is that familiar with.”

Now look, I get that the hard core fans, that will listen to anything they put out. However they represented roughly about 30% of the actually arena. They decided to focus the set list to new songs, that most in the section I was sitting in, didn’t really know the words to. When they finally got around to singing Everything Counts (the 14 song in the set!) The crowd was ready to sing along and thought ok, here we go now. Nope not so fast the show was almost over. They sang a few more notable songs, Somebody, Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus and then boom the show was over. To a chorus of boos from the floor I may add as the house lights went on.

For some reason Depeche Mode forgot they had huge hits in the 80s. Those same hits are why 14000 people spent good money to see them.
Forgotten from the concert, People are People, Stangelove, Just Can’t Enough, Blasphemous Rumours, Policy of Truth, World in My Eyes and Master and Servant (which was selling merch with that logo, yet not in show??)

I want to compare this to going to see another 80’s band, and my favourite Duran Duran. I could not imagine them not playing Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf or The Reflex because they wanted to focus on new material.

Did I like the show, yes, but it was 5 hits away from me really enjoying it. Overall I left disappointed.

Revolution
(The Beatles song)
Cover Me (Alt Out)
(instrumental video intro)
Going Backwards
So Much Love
Barrel of a Gun
(with ‘The Message’ (Grandmaster Flash) snippet)
A Pain That I’m Used To
(‘Jacques Lu Cont’s remix’ version)
Corrupt
In Your Room
World in My Eyes
Cover Me
A Question of Lust
(acoustic)
Home
Poison Heart
Where’s the Revolution
Wrong
Everything Counts
Stripped
Enjoy the Silence
Never Let Me Down Again

Encore:
Somebody
Walking in My Shoes
“Heroes”
(David Bowie cover)
I Feel You
Personal Jesus

3/5

Here are some photos from the show

Coldplay Aug 21 – 22 2017 Rogers Centre

Published August 27, 2017 by lorimuma

Coldplay. Its a band that people either like or think they are the worst thing to happen to music in the last 15 years. I happen to be somewhere in the middle. I have been a causal fan, but after seeing them a couple of times at the ACC I found them to be boring and an average show at best.

So when I heard that they were playing not 1, but 2 shows at the Rogers Centre I was like “really” ok I did’t think that they could still sell stadium shows.
Curious to see what it was all about, I got tickets for the 2nd show. Luckily I was also asked to help assist with the 1st show, so I was about to experience Coldplay for 2 nights back to back.

What happened over the next two nights was completely unexpected. I watched what has become once of the best concerts I have ever seen period. This was not the same band that ways years ago. this was a live experience that would have blew the roof off the Rogers Centre, had the dome not been open already.

Coldplay was in sensory overload. The entire audience had wristbands call Xylobands, that are led lights that make the audience feel apart of the show. Combine that with lasers, confetti, pyro, huge oversized balloons and did I mention the roof was open, so the CN Tower became part of the performance. This show left me in awe of the production. Combine this with songs that had the entire audience was on there feet, signing and dancing. I left this show speeches and in awe of the entire thing.

I was lucky to see both nights. One night I was higher up, looking down at that crowd and getting a full view of the show and the enormity of the production. The second night I was down in the crowd and felt like I was part of the performance.

The energy level of band and the audience was a 1000% and the set list was a perfect order of Coldplay classics and some new tracks thrown in.

Below are some photos I took from the shows, the beauty of the lights and size of the stages are hard to capture. Sorry U2 I love you guys, but this was the best show I have seen this year.

5 /5 (both nights)

What they played

O mio babbino caro
(Maria Callas song)
A Head Full of Dreams
(extended intro with Charlie Chaplin speech)
Yellow
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
The Scientist
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
Paradise

B-Stage
Always in My Head
Magic
Everglow
A-Stage
Clocks
(with “Army of One” excerpt in intro)
Midnight
Charlie Brown
Hymn for the Weekend
Fix You
Viva la Vida
Adventure of a Lifetime

C-Stage
Kaleidoscope
In My Place
Don’t Panic
(acoustic; Will on lead vocals)
Green Eyes
(acoustic; Chris only after first chorus)

A-Stage
Amazing Day
Something Just Like This
(The Chainsmokers & Coldplay cover)
A Sky Full of Stars
Up&Up

Queen Bey’s twins are here

Published July 14, 2017 by lorimuma

I have been away from blogging for awhile but there was one thing that brought me back.

In the early hours of July 14th 2017, while most people were sound asleep Queen Bey quietly broke the internet with one photo and made the Beyhive lose its mind. The photo was her finally revealing Sir and Rumi Carter on their 1 month birthday. Never mind that people were losing there minds over the possibility of the name being Sir Carter Carter. (relax its only Sir, Bey most of just typed Cater 2x)

Now nothing was casual about this photo. It was a high quality over the top photo shoot to feature the new twins. This not your “Anne Geddes” babies dressed as vegetables photo shoot. That was so 2000 and Bey and Jay have no time for that.

All day I have been hitting refresh to see the obvious photo album that will be coming. I mean there is absolutely no way that only 1 photo was taken. I mean where is Blue, where is Jay Z and where are the floating in water shots?

I have to admit when I saw this photo, I was drawing to the fact you can hardly see the babies and that it was same floral backdrop that Bey used for her pregnancy announcement.

Anyways I will wait for the other photos and the album that will be secretly released at some point.

Image result for beyonce twins reveal

Next Steps

Published March 19, 2017 by lorimuma

Lately I have been thinking about next steps. Next steps in trying to figure out what I am supposed to do with myself.

As is approach my mid-forties (yikes) I know one thing. It’s that I don’t feel fulfilled. I don’t think that I am doing what I should be. Most days I am not happy or even excited to start the day.

My problem is how do I get there. Never mind spending time analyzing how I got to where I am today. That has become a vicious circle that has left me worse off.

I realize that just can’t stop working and live out everything that is going on in my head. I can’t hope that I win the lottery tonight. I have to stop thinking about thinks from the past, that if I had turned left instead of right.

I know that soon I am going to have to change. Change the direction that I am going. I think that I am going to have to do this one step at a time.

So over the next few weeks I am going to trying to find those things that bring me joy. That make me what to get up and do those things. I need to find something that will become my “ side hustle” something that will get me out of this rut. I truly want to believe that change will be coming soon

Sting – Rebel Toronto

Published March 8, 2017 by lorimuma

As I began writing about the Sting concert that saw this past Sunday, I started to reflect on how I really need to appreciate how fortunate to get these opportunities

The show took place at the newly renamed Rebel. (aka The Sound Academy, but really The Docks to most people)

It was a beautiful Sunday in March in Toronto and it was hard to believe that Sting was playing such a small venue.

A beautiful Sunday afternoon in Toronto

One of many great thing from working the VIP events is that I get to spent time with some great people (shout out to you Corser) and see things that most concerts don’t get to see. In the case of Sting, it was a private sound check for less than 100 people.

Sting came out in very casual jeans and hoddie and performed for over 30 min with songs and conversation to the very intimate crowd. Think the old Muchmusic show Intimate and Interactive.

He sounded incredible and gave little stories about how his songs came to be. He looked like someone who loved what he was doing and was enjoying his time on stage with the small crowd.

For this tour Sting was supported on this show his son, Joe Sumner and the band Last Bandoleros Both openers joined Sting during his set as well. I should also say that during the Last Bandoleros set, Sting joined them onstage to play some tambourine and sing backup. I am pretty sure that at 70% of the crowd didn’t even notice.

This show was very different, then the one he co-headlined with Peter Gabriel this summer. No grand entrance or arena type lighting or visuals.

Although when you walk out to Synchroniciy ll, do you really need anything else. Even though he has played stadiums and arenas around the world, Sting seemed completely comfortable playing a venue of about 3000 people.

My favourite song from the night, had to be the classic Fields of Gold, which he never played at the summer show. It fit perfectly with the feel of the venue.

Now I will admit, I did leave early, being the only reason that Rebel is in the middle of nowhere, with almost zero transit and minimal cab service. So to avoid a hour plus wait, I headed out a bit early. I figured I saw the soundcheck so really I was seeing 2 Sting concerts that night

This was a great show to start what looks like is going to be a very busy and enjoyable year of concerts.

20170305_210153 Sting at Rebel, Toronto, March 5 2017

4/5

Below is the Set List from the Toronto Show (even if I left before it finished)

Synchronicity II

Play Video

Spirits in the Material World

Englishman in New York

She’s Too Good for Me

I Can’t Stop Thinking About You

I Hung My Head

Fields of Gold

Down, Down, Down

Petrol Head

Shape of My Heart

Pretty Young Soldier

Message in a Bottle

Ashes to Ashes

(David Bowie cover) (with Joe Sumner)

50,000

Walking on the Moon

Play Video

So Lonely

Desert Rose

Roxanne

Encore:

Next to You

Every Breath You Take

Encore 2:

The Empty Chair

Oscars 2017 – My Review

Published February 26, 2017 by lorimuma

Thank you to everyone who enjoyed my Grammy live blog from a few weeks ago, so now this is the big one. The 2017 Academy Awards. So this will be a long one. I got my rest and now I’m ready. Here. We. Go.
8pm
I am watching the final 30 min of the red carpet pre-show. Its been a long journey. The CTV Etalk red carpet was a complete disaster as I thought it would be. The ABC red carpet was pretty PG, nothing to interesting. In fact it felt like 2 hours. Everyone is great, everyone is gorgeous, everyone has a chance of winning…..blah blah,

8:30
It starts with Justin Timberlake with Can’t Stop The Feeling and it was fun even if the song is shit. I especially loved the “I don’t know who you are” look that Ryan Gosling gave JT
Jimmy Kimmel comes out and right away throws shade right away at Mel Gibson.
He is actually pretty good, the Meryl Streep bit was very funny so far so good.

8:49
The first award is given to Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I am 1 for 1 on my Oscar pool, so that is a win for me.

8:57
Its time for the make up award. and winner is… Suicide Squad?? wtf and now we have academy award winner Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for Costume Design. What is happening I have now dropped down to 1 out 3 in my pool. This is stressing me out big time.

9:08
They bring out the real Catherine Johnson, from Hidden Figures. What a nice surprise.
Now Its Documentary Feature time lets hope the documentary about an unknown guy named OJ Simpson wins…and it does and I am now back to 2 out of 4 in my pool.

9:15
The song from Moana is one, its pretty enough, but I could do without the Lin Manuel Miranda intro. I find him a little much, a little too happy and life is great so I have to talk extreamly fast. the poor girl is hit in the head with a flag but continues like a Disney pro

9:26
We make it the sound categories
Arrival beats La La Land in the Sound Editing category. I am losing my Oscar Pool big time.
But it at least its a Canadian team
Now Hacksaw Ridge wins best Sound Mixing, this is becoming a La La Land shut out and my Oscar Pool is a disaster

9:40,
We are not even half way done yet, but it is time for Supporting Actress, I see the guy who robbed Stallone last year is still wearing that ridiculous hat. And the winner is Viola Davis, ok now I am back on track with my picks.