where were we?

Putting together your amazing summer issues actually :)

We've crammed all the summer goodness we could into the May and June/July issues. They're available all over the schools - both issues actually - and in them we've got your preview of summer blockbusters, an exclusive with Dog the Bounty Hunter (you know you love him) and for those who have graduated or are looking for that summer job, we've got a great article on must-know tips for searching for jobs in this economy and century - it'll put you ahead of the pack.

From warm weather fashions to where you should be this weekend - beach or patio? - the Interrobang has you covered!

So come in and pick up a copy or check it out ONLINE!

420 in the park.

Although it's passed, how many of you out there celebrated 420 Day?

The London Free Press got some coverage of the big event down in Victoria Park.

Check it out:

unbound 2010.

Last Friday, April 16 - Fanshawe's fashion design students put on their end-of-the-year graduate portfolio at Museum London.

The ritzy event - seriously, people were lookin' good and the food was fancy - was packed, and while it did start way later than planned (and the fashionable people were getting testy, as this Interrobang reporter overheard), it was worth the wait.

Coming from a person who can't sew to save her life, seeing those creations stomp down the runway was IMPRESSIVE.

The evening performance was judged by big names like famous Canadian designer David Dixon, Maggie Bill of ET Canada, and Erin O'Brien of Flare magazine.

Literally everything from swimsuits to mermaid-inspired evening gowns graced the stage and the audience was visibly psyched by the results.

Congrats to the class of 2010!

*all photos by Anthony Chang.

lg fashion week - exclusive pics of Brandon R. Dwyer's show.

And we're back with some more images from LG Fashion Week! This time we'd love to show you some pictures taken at Fanshawe grad, Brandon R. Dwyer's show.

BASCH by Brandon R. Dwyer featured some tight looks - literally. But the BASCH girl is confident, and exclusive, according to the press information.
The show started with a sexy, sleek mini-movie featuring a cat-and-mouse game between two women, one changing her identity with various BASCH looks and a blond wig.
Opening the show was the "spy" of the video, followed by each model - wearing identical blond wigs.
It was very wearable. I could see some girls rocking these looks when they go out, or when they really want to make a statement on a date.
The second last dress in mint green was stunning, trimmed with fur and a welcome piece of colour where most collections went black and cream.

Great work, Brandon!

theatre lovers. check it!

Set in the late 1920s and '30s, this play explores a semi-Romeo and Juliet romance between two teens. It's all about sexual awakenings, repression, class systems and the wonder and fear of first love.
Details are on the poster - we encourage you to check it out! It's the program's second graduate performance.

lg fashion week exclusives.

It's FASHION WEEK! Canada's most fashionable are converging on the AllStream Convention Centre in Toronto to see what Canadian designers are turning out for fall/winter 2010.

Everyone from magazine editors, bloggers, VIPs, buyers, TV personalities and more are showing up - front row and centre - to get a peek at designers like Evan Biddell, Orange by Angela Chan, Joe Fresh Style, Pink Tartan, among many others.

So far, it's been incredible - sensory overload. Monday say Georgian designers Gaudet with some Lady-Gaga-no-pants-woodland-creature inspired duds; Jules Power with a mix of quirky, comfortable, totally wearable clothes; and celeb-fave Preloved with geek chic knitted shorts, over-the-knee socks and shearling coats.

Check out some shots - please excuse the blurriness, I brought a simple ole digital camera so I did the best I could :)



Here is a bit of Gaudet. Dramatic and bold.






No pants dance and also fur, an issue of contention for many as quite a few collections are featuring it.
And some pops of colour - turquoise - even on the menswear. There was also lots of sheer tops as well. Lots of patterns, tribal and nature.










More to come of other collections - stay tuned!

london: new provincial capital?

London Free Press writer, Ian Gillespie, seems to think so.

MPP Bill Murdoch apparently suggested the idea that London be Ontario's new capital city over big city Toronto.

Here is how he stacks up the two cities:

• "Booze: Back in the 1860s, Toronto became North America's largest alcohol manufacturing centre with several distilleries pumping out whiskey. But Labatt started brewing beer in London in 1847. Now I ask you: What's more popular with the average Ontarian -- beer or whiskey?
• Hockey: Toronto has the Leafs and a booming business in anti-depressants, plus the Leafs play in an over-priced arena named after a company that specializes in losing your luggage. We have the Memorial Cup-winning London Knights, who play in an affordable rink named after a brewery.
• Mayors: Toronto Mayor David Miller regularly posts on Twitter, including a recent item about how his son "backchecked, all the time" in his minor hockey game. London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best does not. (Enough said.)
• Trash: Toronto trucks its trash far, far away. London looks after its own garbage (although we're still trying to get a handle on those darn clamshell containers).
• Other stuff: Toronto can lay claim to a chaotic airport, traffic gridlock, Howie Mandel and Mike Myers. London can claim a relaxed airport, comfortable commutes, Guy Lombardo, Rachel McAdams and Slippery the Seal."

So what do you think? Should London be the next provincial capital?

Read more here.

nowhere boy is going somewhere.

Our reporter, Baden Roth, was recently taking in all the musical goodness of Canadian Music Week last week - be sure to check out the next issue of the Interrobang (coming out Friday) for more insider goodness.

Roth had the opportunity to check out the biopic on Lennon's early days, Nowhere Boy. A great film for any Beatles fan - here's what he had to say about it:

The Canadian Music Festival also held a film festival showcasing feature films that incorporate musical themes. Presented was the Canadian premiere of Nowhere Boy, which is directed by Sam Taylor Wood, this is her first feature film and has been previously released in the U.K.
The film tells the story of John Lennon’s teenage years, this is not a Beatles movie, but a John Lennon film - about what shapes him into becoming who he is.

We are given an insight into Lennon’s younger years as he struggles to define himself. This is a story of a boy growing up into a budding artist. Lennon’s mother is involved in a seedy life in the heart of Liverpool, challenged with creating a family and not accomplishing it. Lennon connects with other musicians and is supported by his Aunt Mimi, who doles out tough love that, at the time, he does not appreciate. Relationships win out and Lennon forges friendships with Paul McCartney and George Harrison as they begin their odyssey of music.

The film is brilliantly crafted – you feel like a bystander on the quiet streets of Liverpool watching events unfold. With Aaron Johnson playing the teenaged Lennon he puts on a highly believable performance, and puts you right into Lennon’s shoes, strumming his guitar.

want some real money? read on!

The Certified General Accountants of Ontario have a cool online accounting contest for you to check out...and win some money!

You need to sign up at http://cga-ontario.org and choose your level of difficulty - you have to log on by 3pm! The contest begins at 4pm!

Got that? Register by 3pm, compete starting at 4pm.

SO - you can choose between basic and intermediate level and there are 100 multiple choice financial accounting questions.

For Basic:

1st place gets you $4,000 cash and $5,000 scholarship towards a CGA program of studies.
2nd place - $2,000 cash and $5,000 scholarship (same as above).
3rd place - $1,000 cash and the scholarship (same as above).

Intermediate:

1st place - $5,000 cash and $5,000 scholarship (same as above).
2nd - $3,000 cash and scholarship (same as above).
3rd - $1,500 cash and scholarship (same as above).

ALSO - $100 and a scholarship worth $1,000 is granted to the winning student from each institution that has students registered.

So get to it!

presidential debate.

Today at noon, the two presidential candidates - Rob McGarry and Joe Scalia - sat down in front of staff and students to debate on the issues that matter most.

Both candidates clearly have a passion for student politics and were able to communicate their passion, but let's get to the details:

Scalia and McGarry both touted the importance of communication to students - in letting them know about the FSU and how it can help students. Other topics included school spirit, communication with faculty (both said they had good relationships with faculty), Fleming, the student health plan, priorities and the student code of conduct and whether it should apply to offences off-campus (both thought it should not apply to offences off-campus).

While neither candidate really differed in opinion - increased communication was a popular answer - both seemed to have a vision for the next year. Scalia has the benefit of already being on council as this past year's VP finance and being involved in current issues, so he was able to give more tangible answers - such as what to improve on the student health plan (vision care, equipment rentals, vaccinations, etc.) and letting students know that many of the things they asked about, he was already working on (sustainability audit) or a part of - ex: part of the student code of conduct review committee.

However, McGarry has held the position of VP internal previously and is currently a very active member on SAC, so he has also been privy to some of the issues, is knowledgeable about the college and its staff and faculty, and his experience in his journalism and communications program will help in reaching out to students, he said.

Important topics and where the candidates stand:

Priorities for next year?
Rob: Engaging students, using different channels. Objectives - having a more active role (referring to FSU standing up for students, like in the case of the LTC strike) and being available to students whenever he can.
Joe: 1) Getting class reps early, 2) sustainable initiatives - establishing a sustainability coordinator, 3) open forums, video blog with FSU newsletter, 4) events - more open mic nights, 5) more events like the free market event, 6) follow-up on any student concerns.

Relationship/sometimes butting heads with the college?
Joe: Said he would be okay standing up to the college. Gave the example of how the college would like to use some of the campus improvement fees for a security initiative, but he and current president, Jabari Cooper, disagree it's in the best interest of students and are looking into more sustainable means to give the money too so they have defended their position to the college and not given the money.
Rob: Said the relationship between the college and the FSU is a "fine balance." In terms of the college, he said they sometimes overstep their boundaries and that hopefully he'd be able to collaborate with them and get a solution.

Fleming?
Joe: Never know what's going to happen. Wants to explain to residences that partying isn't wrong but out-of-control partying is. Acknowledged it goes both ways - the police are sometimes too strict - if parties aren't out of control then the police shouldn't be strict with those involved.
Rob: He also said he would talk to students during move-ins to focus on responsible partying and having a positive relationship with the police and media.
*There was also the question of Fanshawe's reputation in London - both candidates agreed that improved relations with the media and community are imperative.

Students asked about different groups on campus such as single parent students, international students and students in residences, keeping the candidates aware of the diversity of issues at Fanshawe. Their general response was more communication with these groups to see what it is they need and want from the FSU and facilitating that.

And their choice of animal if they could be any?
Joe: Narwhal because it is essentially a unicorn of the sea.
Rob: Tiger, decisive.

Voting starts TODAY and ends THURSDAY - so log onto FanshaweOnline to cast your votes.
http://www.fsu.ca/
Speeches from the other positions will be tomorrow at noon at Forwell Hall.
The big announcements will be made Thursday at 4pm at the Out Back Shack.

jean-paul de roover to play london saturday!

We've featured him before in the Interrobang last fall. His CD case (which he designed) for his album Windows and Doors folds out into a 3D house (yeah...YEAH). For his single, Fix, his video consists of about 2,022 still photographs and over 600 bandaids.

Frankly, he's almost TOO creative - we're kidding. He's a cool dude.

We recently spoke with him while he was at Canadian Music Week in T.O. during his cross-Canada tour.

This time around with touring, he's been pleased with the results.

"I've quadrupled my audience at every venue so far...There's growth and I'm really excited about that. There are lots of people talking about the video."

(See the video craziness below - MuchMusic's picked it up)



For those interested in seeing De Roover live - you can expect a high energy, one-man show.

"I like to make sure people at the show are having as good a time as I am," he said.
"(There will be) new songs and new takes on old songs."

Since it's just him playing rather than a full band, it's also pretty exciting to watch him construct his songs solo.

"You're literally watching me build the songs from scratch," he said.

De Roover will be playing at the East Village Arts Co-Op at 757 Dundas St. It's actually a singer-songwriter night as well so sign-up if you'd like!
For more information visit: http://www.eastvillagearts.com/ and http://jeanpaulderoover.com

canadian music week coverage!

What would posses a student to extend his reading week and take on the bustling Gardiner Express Way, fight through traffic snarls and battle the endless crowds? The answer is the Canadian Music Week - the largest celebration of music in Canada composed of seemingly endless festival-esque concert series and conferences. Enter Baden Roth, currently wrapping up his 2nd year in multimedia design and production at Fanshawe College in London, ON, Canada,. He is doing freelance for the Interrobang this week {March 10-14th} and covering what is now the 28th year of Canada’s longest-running music industry conference. The conference discusses where the Canadian Music Industry is in relevance to the present. This week includes back-to-back nights of upcoming Canadian talent and exclusive interviews as well as a rather high energy film festival as well. From a music doc of The Doors to a premiere of the critically acclaimed music bio of the origins of John Lennon.

Tonight Baden will be covering Jason Collet @ Lees Palace who will be making a stop at Call The Office on Friday – Review To Follow. (Interview too)

handsome men's club.

The Handsome Men's Club - Watch more Funny Videos

Happy Hump Day!

olympic news: the good, the great and the sexy.

How hot is Canada at the Olympics right now?
Our athletes are showing courage and kickass-ness. And we're all damn proud.

Let's start with figure skater Joannie Rochette. After she arrived in Vancouver, she was struck with the news that her mother had died due to a heart attack.
Yet she still went ahead with a stunning short program, placing third and continued onto her long program last night, winning third overall.

In her own words from the Toronto Star:

"Tonight, for those four minutes, I could only think of my skating, which was good because I needed to be in a state of mind where I couldn't be touched, where I could be in a bubble ... I still don't know how I could do this and not cry before the music started. I feel proud and the result did not matter. I'm happy to be on the podium. It was a lifetime project for me and my mom and we achieved that."

Our women's hockey team won GOLD last night! And they celebrated on the ice with some champ, and some cigars...and now the International Olympic committee is having a hissy fit over it. Really, IOC? Really? Relax. These women worked damn hard and the ice didn't get hurt. Slow your roll.

And finally, this is a little shout-out to all those lovely Olympic athletes and the stamina they're showing in their sports...and in the sack, apparently.

According to the National Post, health officials in Vancouver have provided 100,000 condoms to about 7,000 Olympic athletes and officials - which means roughly 14 condoms per person.

But as of Wednesday - supplies were low, so an emergency shipment from the Canadian Foundation for AIDS research of 8,500 was sent out and arrived yesterday.

Free condoms started to be disturbed back in 1992 at the Barcelona games. Apparently though, the Toronto Star reports that this seems to be the first time there's been a shortage.

Oh Canada :)

perez shout-out.

Last year we posted about the Health Unit's...let's say...unique game aimed at helping youth learn about sex.

Well it seems that the Internet's most despised blogger, Perez, has even picked up on it!

Check out his shout-out:
http://perezhilton.com/2010-02-17-heres-one-way-to-teach-kids-about-condoms

We're happy to see he found the penis arms and sperm with teeth as disturbing as we did.

olympic gold means cash.

Alexandre Bilodeau (centre)

For those of you tuning into the Olympics, you know this past weekend saw our first gold medal on home soil! (The fact that it's taken us this long...another story).

Alexandre Bilodeau of Quebec killed the men's moguls - and is set to be have endorsement deals chomping at the bit for him and his, frankly, lovely personal story.

You've seen the commercials - Bilodeau with his brother, who he says is his inspiration, with cerebral palsy. But while this whole thing might seem contrived, it doesn't. It's really pretty beautiful.

But naturally, marketers and advertisers are salivating over a story like that. Bilodeau is estimated to make $1-million from endorsements since winning the gold, reported the Globe and Mail.

However, of course it's not as much as what American athletes can pull - but it's nice to know a good Canadian boy is getting some attention.

London - a low romance zone?

According to Amazon.ca, London ranks tenth in its list of the top 20 most romantic cities in Canada.

Are you surprised? Is this not a shocker?

Windsor snagged the bottom of the list (not necessarily surprising...no offense, Windsor-ites...ians?).

And apparently, Saskatoon is the most romantic city in Canada.

Yeah.

Saskatoon.

The city's mayor, Don Atchison claims it may be because, "We've got a lot of very passionate people in Saskatoon. (We have) some very warm-blooded people."

If you're wondering about the strict criteria and process by which this list was created - it was based on the sales of romance novels, DVDs and Michael Buble CDS.

We didn't make that up.

Cute, Amazon.ca. Real cute.

To read more about our ranking, check out the London Free Press.

golden boy.

It's awards season!

With the Golden Globes, the SAGs and Grammys behind us - it's time to look forward to the big night surrounding a little man named Oscar.

This week the Oscar nominations were announced - with first-time nominees and the newly expanded Best Picture category (now 10 movies are nominated).

Sandra Bullock continues her awards season sweep with a nomination for Best Actress (she's one of the first-timers), along with Precious' breakout star Gabourey Sidibe and An Education's Carey Mulligan. They're against heavy hitters Meryl Streep (nominated a record 16th time - but naturally...it's MERYL) and Helen Mirren.

The Best Actor category sees Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), George Clooney (Up in the Air) and Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) against each other.

And in the big Best Picture category there are:

• “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers (you would hope the most expensive movie made would get nominated for SOMETHING)
  
• “The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined (a bit surprising, critics claim it's nominated to reach out to the "minivan demographic")
  
• “District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
• “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
• “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined (James Cameron's ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow directed)
  
• “Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
• “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
• “Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer (only animated movie...unless you count Avatar's blue people)
  
• “Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

There you have it! One shocker was that The Hangover, despite critics suggesting it may get nominated, was shafted - but comedies never make it into the Oscars, do they?

So what do YOU think? Who will be the winners? Any surprises? Let us know!

To see the full list of nominees, visit: OSCAR.COM

faculty & union details. what it means for you.

News has been buzzing around campus about a possible strike on February 11th.

Key word: possible - as in may not happen.

So let's discuss what's actually going on.

OPSEU called for binding arbitration on Monday, February 1 (this essentially would mean that both sides would be negotiating and bargaining hardcore until midnight on February 10 and anything unresolved would be put to an arbitrator for a binding resolution. If that offer was refused - union could strike on February 11).

The most recent news is that the college faculty is exercising their right to ask the Ontario Labour Relations Board to put their final offer to the union membership to vote on.
So faculty in all 24 colleges will decide whether they accept the offer.
The date for that vote is still being determined.

But we will let you know as soon as that's released to us.

If you have any questions about what's going on - let us know!

all you need is the interrobang's LOVEline.

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love."

Charlie Brown was onto something.
Don't let your love go unrequited. Indulge your Valentine's Day sappiness, or just send a shout out to friends in the February 8th issue of the Interrobang.

Your message should be a maximum of about 35-40 words long, and should be submitted before Wednesday, February 3 at noon.

Fill out this form if you're interested: http://www.fsu.ca/news_lovelines.asp

Whether you want to reach out to that person you spent a special night with post-Jack's, or the person who doesn't know you exist or even do something sweet for the one you're with - send something in!

apple unveils latest toy.

Steve Jobs with the iPad. (From BBC News)

Apple has presented the world with it's newest piece of technological fun! The iPad.
Awkward name aside, this PC tablet - basically like a giant iPhone - has been referred to as a "third category" between smartphones and personal computers, namely laptops, reported BBC News online.

Besides looking pretty nifty, it apparently has a battery life of up to 10 hours...impressive...makes you wonder how they haven't come up with a battery like that for other products yet....hmmmm.

Either way, here's the iPad! Who wants it?

news news newsy news news.

(The need for this picture will be explained below.)

Happy Monday!

Let's get your week started with what's happening today:

- City council is recommending that those who organize the Rock the Park concert in Harris Park be required to pay a $5,000 security deposit for this upcoming year, as last year there were numerous noise complaints from those in nearby neighbourhoods. The proposal is set to go before the city's community and protective services committee today.

- Saturday's rally at Victoria Park, protesting the PM's proposal to prorogue Parliament (hello P's), saw 500 people in attendance, speaking out against how Harper's decision is a "waste of time and money," reported the London Free Press (London Free Press)

- The cast of MTV's Jersey Shore is asking for more money for the second season of their insanely popular (not sure why) show. Associated Content reports that "for Jersey Shore season two, MTV offered a bonus to each of the cast members of $10,000 as well as a payment of $5,000 per episode. That is a lot of money for these cast members, but they rejected it apparently stating that they wanted every cast member (eight main ones) to get the same raise. Now MTV has countered with an offer of $10,000 per episode..." Really...for people with names like Snooki and The Situation? REALLY?
(Associated Content)

- Canadian families are happily welcoming Haitian orphans into their homes. Twenty-four children arrived in Ottawa on Sunday. The children involved had already been pre-approved for adoption, but the earthquakes sped up the process.
(Globe and Mail)

- This past Saturday was yet another pre-Oscars awards show, the Screen Actors' Guild awards. Both Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges both won their respective "best actor" nods, making it appear as those Oscars may be next. Other winners included "Inglourious Basterds" for best ensemble cast, while Mo'Nique took home the supporting actor award for "Precious" and Christopher Waltz won for "Inglourious Basterds" in the same category.
(Canadian Press)

- The Help for Haiti Now celeb-studded telethon raised $57-million for Haiti relief. Kind of nice to see celebrities getting together to do something amazing instead of fake celebrities with bump-it hairstyles asking for more money to make asinine comments, isn't it? Just saying.
(Popsugar)

Check back for more information, fun facts and judgment about Jersey Shore :)

rally rally.

(Yeah, we can't get over this picture either.)

Harper wants to prorogue Parliament and Canadians everywhere are saying, "No thanks."

Whether it's because he's just avoiding the controversy swirling around about the Afghan detainees or it's just to generally inconvenience the country - there's been an audible outcry.

With protests popping up everywhere, London's getting in on the activist action.

For those who want to send a message - they can be at Victoria Park, Saturday at noon where a rally has been organized to take place.

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/01/21/12566046.html

London helps Haiti with music.

Looking for a way to help Haiti?

The Aeolian Hall is bringing together some great talents for a great cause tonight at 7 p.m.

Featuring local musicians Clark Bryan, Marion Miller, Julia MacGregor, Steve Clarke, The Alfredo Caxaj Latin Ensemble, Catherine McInnes, Jennifer Thorpe, Mosaic and others - the evening aims to raise $10,000 for Haiti relief.

The event is "pay-what-you-can" with the proceeds going to the Red Cross. There will also be CD sales, raffles and a silent auction - all proceeds also going to relief efforts.

The important thing out of this event, and other events like it, is that people are aware that continuous aid is needed for this region - not just when the camera lense is focused on it, said Clark Bryan, executive director of Aeolian Hall and one of the evening's performers.

"It's an amazing thing and it's easier to see because it's in the media. But one thing that will sustain is...how do we get people to understand the necessity to give when it isn't in the media at all," he said. "We want to keep one foot planted firmly in the social activist soil."

"It's going to be a very powerful evening and I'm looking forward to it."

Those interested in attending can come to the Aeolian Hall at 795 Dundas St. E. at Rectory at 7 p.m. or contact the following people for more information:

Clark Bryan, Executive Director, The Aeolian

clarkbryan@bellnet.ca 519 672 7950

Catherine McInnes, Artistic Director of Home County Folk Festival

cathmcinnes@sympatico.ca 519 434 0510

Alfredo Caxaj, Artistic Director of Sunfest

acaxaj@hotmail.com 519 641 3044

happy 20-10.

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

Here's to a new decade hopefully filled with new debacles, debates and general good times.

While we could start the new year off with a lively debate on what the heck the point of the People's Choice awards are (sure, people should have a say but it's like watching a high school student council election) - we're choosing to highlight something all you citizens of London should know about.

Did you know that, according to studies, London - not Toronto, as you might assume - gets the most toxins pumped into its skies than anywhere in Ontario?

Yeah. Gross.

According to the London Free Press:

"At more than eight million kilograms of toxins a year, not counting what blows in from the industrial U.S. midwest, the air discharge is 40% higher than the pollutants released above Canada's largest metropolis, the Toronto area, which ranks second in Ontario.

More than 6% of the pollutants released are suspected of causing cancer, while more than 9% are linked to reproductive and developmental defects. Examples of chemicals released include benzene and arsenic."

Delicious.

If anything, hopefully this news will get people thinking, talking and developing solutions.

Want to learn more? See the rest of the article at: http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/01/08/12388701-sun.html