I Heart Edmonton

H EY Edmonton, I just wanted to give you an update on the future of I Heart Edmonton , for anyone who cares. I know that many of you have lost your reason for getting up in the morning when you read that " WE WERE ON A BREAK " ( Ross , Friends )! But I've come to the realization that the world is just not the same without our little site. By the way, for any of you without a sense of humour, I'm a sarcastic kinda guy, so please don't think that I actually believe I Heart Edmonton is the best thing since sliced bread. And while we're on the subject, I don't think sliced bread is all that great, so.... Anyways, what I'm saying is that I Heart Edmonton will be back soon (early April ). I'm pretty excited to get back to work on this hyperlocal venture that gives me (and you) an insight on all the things going on in our amazing city, as well as all the innovative and intriguing projects in the works. Edmonton has a bright future, and I hope I Heart Ed...

e In case you didn't get the gist of it from that clever headline (or at least I thought it was clever when I came up with it), I Heart Edmonton will be taking a break. I'm sorry to disrupt your world so severely, but I'm sure you'll get through this! For those of you who actually give a shit, I don't know when (or if) we'll be back, but I do hope it'll be soon. There's just some things that we... or I ...have to figure out before I can focus my full attention on I Heart . When (again, or if ) I Heart Edmonton returns it'll be a little different from what you're used to seeing here. Anyways, take care Edmonton and I hope to "see" you again soon. Cheers! Emil Tiedemann , " I Heart Edmonton " e

New website for proposed arena asked what the hockey legend thought about the ongoing debate " I T'S obvious that it's time for a change." That's what former Edmonton Oiler Mark Messier had to say when he was asked his opinion on Edmonton's proposed downtown arena and entertainment complex. "I just can't see anybody not jumping on board and being a part of it for the benefit of the city itself." It was less than a month ago that the (Daryl) Katz Group launched the official Edmonton Arena District website, focused on revitalizing the downtown region with this intriguing concept. Since then the EAD has uploaded various videos (including the Messier clip below) and welcomes public comments and discussions via the site. "We believe in Edmonton. We believe in the promise of this city and its people," reads EAD's vision statement . "We see all the positive things happening downtown and want to be a part of it. And we believe that...

Some of the latest happenings in the city of Edmonton... - I HEART Edmonton wants to wish a happy birthday to the city's oldest microbrewery, Alley Kat , which turned 15-years-old this month. Those teen years can really be a bitch! "We originally provided beer to customers in Edmonton, literally delivering from the back of an old pick-up truck," remembered co-owner Lavonne Herbst . "Fifteen years later we're selling beers throughout Alberta, expanding to South Korea, and exploring the Ontario market. Oh, and the pick-up truck is gone." In celebration Alley Kat is launching a series of " 15th Anniversary " beers that will be limited to just 250 cases, starting with a smoked porter, then a Belgian-styled tripel and a real ginger ale. The award-winning Alley Kat Brewing Company was started in 1995 by Edmonton's Neil & Lavonne Herbst. - E DMONTON'S 5-year-old alternative rock station, Sonic 102.9 (CHDI-FM) was named Rock Station of the ...

Commonwealth Stadium's field will get artificial grass to reduce injuries and generate additional revenue, apparently... BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I T may not seem like a big deal to most of us, but it could mean a lot for Commonwealth Stadium , Edmonton's largest sports and entertainment venue. I'm, of course, referring to the overhaul of the football arena's greenery, as the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club and the City of Edmonton have come together in a joint decision to turf the turf. "We both the the city and the Eskimos believe the time has come to make this change," said community services general manager Linda Cochrane , who is in support of replacing the stadium's grass with a state-of-the-art imitation lawn (pictured left). "This is the latest in artificial turf. It is of the same genre as what we have at Clarke Stadium and what we have had so much success with." Edmonton remains the only one of the eight CFL cities who hasn't yet convert...

e I HEART Edmonton is fully aware that there's A LOT of bad things going on all over the world, and right here in our own backyard, too. But our days are over-satuated with these steady updates of car accidents, homicides, natural disasters, war, etc., etc., etc. So, let I Heart bring you some good news for once... CBC Edmonton - Commonwealth grass will soon be history - Kreviazuk to debut with Edmonton Symphony Edmonton Examiner - Winter Light goes out in a blaze of glory - School gives a hero's welcome to Jessica Gregg - Demand for state-of-the-art gallery exceeds expectations SEE magazine - Girls' secret lives Edmonton Journal - Jenn Heil skis her way to bronze at fifth World Cup - Spiritual adviser brings hope to the lost - No snap choosing Edmonton Journal photo contest winner (pictured above) Avenue Magazine - Edmonton's Tyler Christopher hurtles toward Olympic gold (pictured below) Edmonton Sun - Enjoy the spa while your ride gets fixed - Lucky horse cheats...

Zombie-ish movie is just another in a long line of remakes of horror "classics" from the 1970s and '80s BY EMIL TIEDEMANN H ORROR movie remakes are a dime a dozen these days, as Hollywood alum continue to rehatch familiar stories of slash and gore for a new generation of moviegoers. The concept has its highlights, but for the most part these films simply borrow infamous cinematic characters to evoke nostalgia...and ticket sales! In fact, ever since director Marcus Nispel and producer Michael Bay resurrected Tobe Hooper 's 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2003, movie studios have been busy ransacking the archives of Hollywood's horror genre, buying up the rights to reimagine the next slasher franchise. Nispel's slick remake opened at No.1 shortly before Halloween of '03 and earned more than ten times its budget, thus inspiring many more similar horror movie treatments over the next seven years. Not too far behind, in 2004, was a retelling of G...

Local rockers will hit the stage at Wooly Bully's this weekend with special guests Jezibelle What: Empire Assassins & Jezibelle Concert When: Friday, March 12th @ 8:00PM Where: Wooly Bully's Pub (8230-Gateway Blvd.) F ANS of local hard rockers Empire Assassins have been waiting for this for some time now, so I Heart Edmonton is excited to welcome the group back to the stage this Friday night. Guests Jezibelle will also brave the crowd during the Wooly Bully's show on Whyte Ave. , marking Empire's first Edmonton gig since commencing their hiatus from touring and recording last year. Last month they performed their first show of 2010, in Saskatoon, before hitting up Legal, Alberta a couple of weeks later. Kevin Schmidt (vocals, guitar) and Stu Murland (drums) will reunite with Empire's former bassist Trevor DePagie for the gig, though the band is currently in search of a more permanent bass player for future shows. In fact, if you're interested clic...

Avenue Magazine took it upon themselves to discover Edmonton's most delicious eats BY EMIL TIEDEMANN E VERYONE loves to eat, right?! Well, perhaps with the exception of Calista Flockhart , but we won't go there . Anyways, the lovely--and stuffed--folks over at Avenue Magazine recently put together their favourite foods (etc.) in all of Edmonton, and are willing to share their finds with the rest of us. For their second annual " 25 Best Things to Eat " issue, Avenue scoured dozens of our city's most talked-about or underrated restaurants, cafès, bakeries and markets, all in an effort to suggest to us an alternative to Big Mac's, Whoppers and Kentucky fried chicken. It's gonna be hard to top those favs, but Avenue 's Gail Hall answered the call. So, in no particular order, I Heart Edmonton is excited to bring you Avenue Magazine 's "25 Best Things to Eat" in our city... - Pear and Cambozola Triangles ( The Dish & the Runaway Spoon...

e I HEART Edmonton is fully aware that there's A LOT of bad things going on all over the world and right here in our own back yard, too. But our days are over-satuated with these steady updates of car accidents, homicides, natural disasters, war, etc., so let I Heart bring you some good news for once... - Edmonton Sun Local pizza among world's best Edmonton surplus hits $33.7M - Edmonton Examiner Pandas set to host national volleyball championship - Edmonton Journal Ministry's mobile kitchen caters to street's hungry bellies, hearts (pictured) Social media gang hopes to reboot democracy in Alberta - CTV Edmonton - Edmonton park gets federal funding for new equipment - Citytv Edmonton Grant Mac's new plan PHOTO BY JOHN LUCAS ( EDMONTON JOURNAL ) e

Downtown's underground stations may become the destinations themselves one day! BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T HERE aren't many sectors in Edmonton that could use a retooling more than the space underneath us. I'm talking about the subway system in the downtown vicinity, of course, where tens of thousands of Edmontonians merge on a daily basis. 74,400 to be exact. So why is it that such a common ground, or underground in this case, remains vacant of the hustle 'n' bustle that goes on just feet above? It seems that others have finally taken notice, too, according to recent news that the Downtown Business Association (DBA) is looking into making some substantial changes to our underground LRT stations. The dominant alteration would be the addition of actual business in the pedways and hallways of the LRT system , such as coffee shops and newsstands. There are apparently ten spots set aside for these types of merchants. "Today and for the last 30 years I would say it's ...

Take in some authentic Celtic sounds on St. Pat's Day at the Park... What: Celtic Reflections-A St. Patrick's Celebration When: Wednesday, March 17 (7:30-9:30PM) Where: Fort Edmonton Park (7000-143 St.) I F you're like me and are in search of an alternative to heading out to your local Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day...again...then you might wanna check out Celtic Reflections-A St. Patrick's Celebration . $25 gets you a ticket into Fort Edmonton Park ( Clerks' Quarters ), where The McDades (and special guest John Twill ) will put on a show fit for the special day. Known deservingly as Edmonton's "First Family of Celtic Music," The McDades is fronted by contemporary musician and jazz moonlighter Terry McDade . His children Shannon Johnson (vocals, violin) and Jeremiah McDade (vocals, fiddle, saxophone) round out the 36-year-old outfit, which have previously performed at Vancouver Expo '86, the Commonwealth Games, and for members of the Bri...

"You're Cool" (2009) by The Joe "I T'S an amazing, amazing scene," admitted local rapper Joe Gurba (a.k.a. The Joe ) to Vue Weekly , referring to Edmonton's hip-hop scene. "There are MCs here that can go up against any international MC. But there are no listeners." "I don't even listen to hip-hop that much anymore." That was more than two years ago, and both hip-hop in Edmonton and The Joe have come a long way. In fact, our city's current poet laureate just happens to be rap artist Cadence Weapen , and some of the genre's biggest players have passed through (or were at least scheduled to) our rock 'n' roll town. But we're getting off topic here, so let's get back to this Joe guy. First off, who is he? Well, according to his MySpace page , The Joe is a 22-year-old emcee, poet and producer who sounds like " Fresh Prince meets Leonard Cohen ." Actually, that isn't too far from the truth! Last S...

Five local stories from March 3, 2010 I HEART Edmonton is fully aware that there's A LOT of bad things going on all over the world, and right here in our own backyard, too. But our days are over-satuated with these steady updates of car accidents, homicides, natural disasters, war, etc., so let I Heart bring you some good news for once... - Metro Edmonton MacEwan kicks off 25-year-plan for new centre (pictured) - Edmonton Sun Artists paint pictures with words - Avenue Magazine All fired up - Edmonton Journal Stollery Hospital expansion finally underway - Edmonton Examiner All EFCL talent show participants recognized PHOTO BY EMIL TIEDEMANN e

Whyte Ave. music retailer is a haven for vinyl collectors, CD buyers and/or concertgoers BY EMIL TIEDEMANN A SK anyone in my family or any of my close friends and they'll tell you that music is one of my most preferred past times. So, places like Blackbyrd Myoozik in Old Strathcona are welcoming retreats for folks such as myself when we want to disconnect ourselves from the rest of our net-addicted, TV-hooked, texting civilization for just a moment or two. I finally recieved my record player--as in vinyl for all you iPodders--this past Christmas, and so I was excited to check out one of various Whyte Ave. spots that specialize in selections of this retro format, one that isn't without its charm. Last week I trekked the 30 minutes to the Old Strathcona district and headed right for the Blackbyrd on Whyte & 104th. I had been there a couple of times prior, but this was the first time I had come to specifically sift through their accommodating collection of new and used LPs....

During the Olympic Games Edmonton area athletes reminded us why we're called the 'City of Champions' BY EMIL TIEDEMANN I 'VE never really watched past Olympics, Winter or Summer, and I had no intention in starting with the 2010 Games in Vancouver . But, like so many fellow Canucks, I was drawn into the spectacle that would connect a whole nation like nothing before it had. Patriotic Canadians from coast to coast revelled in every bronze, silver and gold medal victory of our hometown heroes, themselves fuelled by a united pride that caught many of us--and outsiders alike--offguard. For seventeen days, millions were glued to TV sets as we not only ended our dubious distinction of being the only country not to earn a gold medal on home turf, but went onto win a record 14, more by a single country in any previous Winter Olympics ever! By Sunday (Feb. 28) Canada had logged 26 medals in all, enough for third place, behind the U.S. (37) and Germany (30). Some of those medals ...