One of the things I’ve intended to do since I moved to downtown Toronto like FIVE years ago was get tickets to the Toronto International Film Festival – well this year, I’m finally doing it. Bought a book of ten tickets and with luck, there’ll be good films playing and I’ll score tickets. The official programme doesn’t come out for another month, though, so till then there’ll be a lot of waiting and wondering what the hell I’m going to do with ten tickets. I’ve been to some screenings in past years, mostly from either free tickets or friends with extras. If memory serves, I’ve been to a couple ‘gala premieres’ (Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen and Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee & Cigarettes) as well as a not-so-gala matinee from the international documentaries category (Cool & Crazy, a film about a Norwegian men’s choir. Yeah). The city always takes on a cool vibe when the TIFF is in town, though, it’s a good chance to see how much shorter celebrities are in real life. I think my top celeb sighting was Willem Dafoe sitting at a patio just north of my apartment a couple years ago. He had these crazy glasses on. Yeah, not much of a story, I know.

This would appear to be the first clear picture of Christian Bale in the Batman costume. First time I saw this, I thought it was an action figure or a statue or something. I don’t know if that reflects well on the costume designers or not. Looks better than Clooney’s outfit, anyway. A one-minute Batman Begins trailer should be out any week now, probably with either The Village this week or Aliens Vs Predator next week. Funny, I would have thought Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle would have been the obvious choice.

Ain’t It Cool has a left-field yet oddly credible rumour about the adversary in Spider-Man 3. I’ll give you a hint – it rhymes with “Wenom”.

And a postscript on the topic of movies – finally got around to seeing Barton Fink last night. The story of a 1940s playwright who travels to Los Angeles to become a movie scripwriter, it was interesting in simultaneously being one of the least weird and yet strangest Coen Brothers films I’ve seen yet. Excellent performances from everyone in the cast – John Turtorro, John Goodman and Tony Shalhoub are all greatly underappreciated actors.

It’s shaping up to be a helluva Fall concert season. I mean, just look at my calendar over there on the side. That’s an insane lineup, and it doesn’t even include expected dates from Steve Earle, Luna, Matthew Sweet or American Music Club. Damnation. Here’s what’s come to my attention in the last 24 hours or so:

A shit-kicking good time will be had at the Horseshoe on September 11 when Alabama’s Drive-By Truckers roll into town with the lovely, talented and lovely Allison Moorer in tow. The DBT are pushing The Dirty South, out August 24 and Allison Moorer released The Duel earlier this year. Tickets are $13.50.

Two-man blues clues The Black Keys will play Lee’s Palace September 28 to support the September 7 release of Rubber Factory, tickets will cost you $15. I dunno, I saw the Black Keys open for Sleater-Kinney last year, and I didn’t think they were worth $15. You could just rent Ghost World and skip to the “Blueshammer!” scene. But that’s just me.

Fellow UK New Wave revivalists The Futureheads will be opening for Franz Ferdinand at The Docks October 1.

Meanwhile, Scots Sons And Daughters, who accompanied FF to town the last time around, will be back on November 5 supporting Clinic, along with Los Angeles’ Midnight Movies.

And some other bits and pieces:

REM’s new album will be out October 5, the leadoff single is entitled “Leaving New York”.

You can see the video for Wheat’s “I Met A Girl” here. It’s a neat vid, shot entirely with still 35mm cameras.

New Spoon website! Updated demo tracks from the new record, too. From Catbirdseat.

Chart finds out just who Rogue Wave are and why they’re getting the attention they are. Me, I just picked up Out Of The Shadow last night (made it to Soundscapes after all). It’s pretty but I haven’t had the opportunity to form any deeper opinion yet. They’re opening for AC Newman August 8 at Lee’s.

np – Old 97’s / Drag It Up

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