I Heart Edmonton

"Edmonton" (2008) by The Rural Alberta Advantage A LTHOUGH the Rural Alberta Advantage are based out of Toronto you wouldn't know it by skimming the back of their (so far) only CD Hometowns , which is made up of titles like "The Dethbridge in Lethbridge," "Frank, AB," and of course, "Edmonton." In fact, there's no evidence of their Eastern residence anywhere on the CD, including in their own name. Singer-guitarist Nils Edenloff explained that "the majority of the songs tend to be based around my experiences and memories from growing up in Alberta. In a way I guess they are homesick love songs," he continued. "I moved to Toronto a couple of years ago, as did several of my close friends from high school, and it was funny how being from Alberta was something we really took pride in. It took being away from it to remember all the things that we loved about growing up there." Edenloff founded this grassroots trio of homes...

Edmonton's Food Bank hopes to raise hunger awareness through a photo & literary contest T HE Edmonton Food Bank presents " Expressions of Hunger ," an interactive photo and literary contest meant to raise awareness about hunger. And with the recent tragedy that has struck Haiti, we could all use a little awareness about those suffering from hunger, from our own backyard to halfway around the world. Focusing on photography, poetry and short prose, "Expressions" will break up the competition into five separate categories, in physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and environmental formats. Participants have until March 31st to submit their photo, poem or prose, and by April the entries will be posted online so anyone can vote for their top three favourites. There will be three winners in each of the five hunger categories, all of whom will be notified on May 3rd . These selections will be displayed at Edmonton City Hall from National Hunger Awareness Day (...

Edmonton-born TV and movie star Michael J. Fox won his first Grammy Award last night BY EMIL TIEDEMANN H E'S already won four Emmies, four Golden Globes and a pair of SAG Awards, and now Michael J. Fox needs to make room on his busy trophy case for a Grammy?! Yep, a Grammy! The Edmonton-born actor & Parkinson's disease advocate, best known for his roles in TV's Family Ties and the Back to the Future trilogy, joins an elite list of non-musical personalities to win a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. His impressive predecessors have included Martin Luther King, Jr. (1971), Orson Welles (1977, 1979 and 1982), Magic Johnson (1993), the Clinton 's ( Hillary in '97, Bill in '05), Jimmy Carter (2007), and even current U.S. President Barack Obama (2006 & 2008). Fox picked up his Grammy yesterday (Jan. 31) at Los Angeles' Staples Centre, for his 2009 audio book Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (Hyperion), which take...

BioWare Edmonton are behind the success of the recently-launched Mass Effect 2 video game BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T ALK about good timing! Right in the dead of winter the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry has launched yet another reason to stay inside, and it goes by the name of Mass Effect 2 . The role-playing action game has become one of the most critically-praised projects in gaming history, and is seeing early numbers that will see it as a commercial triumph as well. By now you might be wondering why I Heart Edmonton is telling you about the No.1 video game in the world right now. Well, it's because Mass Effect 2 was developed right here in the southside studio of BioWare , which was founded in Edmonton 15 years ago. BioWare, a subsidiary of video game pioneers Electric Arts , has gained a reputation for developing award-winning PC games like Neverwinter Night and Baldur's Gate , as well as state-of-the-art console ventures such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ,...

International music icon Elvis Costello is braving the cold for a benefit show at the Winspear What: Fort Edmonton Foundation Presents ' Costello in Concert!' When: Sunday, February 7th @ 7:30PM Where: Francis Winspear Centre for Music (99 St. & 102 Ave.) O NE of the world's most respected and accomplished rock musicians out there is London-born Irishman Elvis Costello , 55, who has been accredited with the ability to "reinvent the past in his own image," and who will return to Edmonton on February 7th. The singer-songwriter, producer, actor and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, piano, harmonica, etc.) also happens to be the blushing groom of Canuck jazz phenom Diana Krall , with whom he's also professionally collaborated. In addition to his own bride, Costello has worked with the music elite, including Paul McCartney , Bruce Springsteen , Tony Bennett , Sting , Burt Bacharach , Green Day and Alison Krauss . The Oscar-nominated Roc...

Bored? Then check out our new sidebar 'Calendar' for something to do I N order to shine a light on even more upcoming events happening in Edmonton, or in surrounding areas ( St. Albert , Sherwood Park , etc.), I Heart Edmonton has included a new feature in our sidebar to the left. " Events Calendar " will highlight some of the concerts, festivals, exhibits, showcases, or other events that will be hitting up the city in the coming days or weeks. They will be brief what-when-where updates that can be clicked on for more information. And don't forget to follow I Heart Edmonton on Facebook and/or Twitter , where we let Edmontonians in on local events coming up. We'll continue finding other ways to guide all you beautiful, sexy folks through what's going on in the city of Edmonton year-round. Cheers, from I Heart . e

Have the Crue overstayed their welcome, or is that proposed new arena more essential than originally thought? BY EMIL TIEDEMANN T HE whole Rexall concert experience is starting to become a bit monotonous. From the obscenely overpriced everything to those tiny plastic seats that dare you to hold off from taking a leak just so you don't have to force everyone else in the aisle to stand up in order to let you by. I've had it with the oversized line-ups to spend almost seven bucks on cheap rum. I'm tired of getting patted down by some complete stranger for weapons, but even worse, the fact that they even have to. And I'm sick of having to sneak in my beat-up point & shoot camera because ticket holders aren't allowed to capture images of the concert, even though we shell out expensive deniro for access. Man, I complain too much! I don't know, maybe it's just me? Perhaps I've over saturated myself with these pyro -driven, louder-than-necessary arena ...

Fellow bloggers were invited for a private tour of the Art Gallery of Alberta on the eve of its grand opening BY EMIL TIEDEMANN N EW York City has the Empire State Building. Toronto's got the CN Tower. San Francisco boasts the Golden Gate Bridge. And now, Edmonton has her own signature structure that, perhaps with one look, will instinctively correlate it with our prideful city. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I think I've got it bad for the AGA, the Art Gallery of Alberta , though it wouldn't be the first time I've fallen for an inanimate object. Let's see, there's my hard cover copy of The Catcher in the Rye , my grey Neon, and of course, my beloved cameras. But, more than ever before, the AGA feels alive! The city's abuzz with the upcoming grand opening celebrations ( January 31-February 1 ) of the $88 million project, and yesterday (January 25) I Heart Edmonton and some two dozen other members of the "social media community...

Stereotypes were squashed by blaring electric guitars & Shakespearean farce during church talent show BY EMIL TIEDEMANN W ITH the exception of weddings and funerals I haven't sat at a pew in something like twenty years. I've never read the Bible and I don't know the Commandments by heart. Hell (I mean heck ), I couldn't even tell you the difference between a Christian and a Catholic, that's how far my spiritual ignorance stretches. Religion's just never been a part of my life. Which is why I had no idea as to what to expect when my buddy Andrew Gelasco invited me to check out " Encounter's Got Talent ," a one-night-only talent show for the young adult patronage of the Church on 99 (9908-67 Ave.), unofficially known as the "Church of Rock." Unfamiliar with any sorta Christian-themed scene, I reluctantly said yes, knowing that an otherworldly faith separates me from the rest of the group. "It's a great opportunity to meet peo...