Latest News

Sports

SHOOTING OUT THE LIGHTS: Hype it up

by Adam Heller on

More in Sports:

It wouldn’t be fair to say that the National Hockey League has failed in every way possible at marketing its product. It is true, however, that the National Football League is the gold standard. After all, the NFL has a $3.3-billion per year television deal and the NHL has a $70-million deal. If the NHL has a marketing department-which is doubtful judging by the above numbers and the ads the league produced-they should all go home and read a little fairy tale called The Emperor’s New Clothes.

In the fable, the emperor parades through town wearing special cloth that only the most intelligent people can see. Of course, the emperor is actually buck-naked and no one can see the material. Nonetheless, everyone marvels at the emperor’s magnificent robes for fear of being seen as dumb. This can be applied to the NFL. The all-mighty NFL has convinced people that it is vastly superior to the NHL, when in fact it is not inherently greater than other leagues at all. People get caught up in something the NHL and the other leagues lack: hype.

The NFL has won this battle through understanding that all sports are essentially similar. They all have their hardcore audience. The trick is tapping into the causal fan. And the casual sports fan doesn’t watch football because it is fundamentally better than hockey; rather, they watch because they want to be entertained and find something beyond the game that interests them. Through accepting that sports are now sports and entertainment, the NFL has managed to change a typical game into a show. Monday Night Football is in the same category as C.S.I, American Idol or whatever else is competing for television audiences. If you turn on NBC’s Football Night in America on Sunday night, the first thing played is the theme song, followed by credits listing who is producing the game-it’s never actual football. For the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t playing the Washington Redskins; rather we are watching Bill Parcells, Terrell Owens, Terrell Owens’ first home game, the historic Redskins-Cowboys rivalry, and so on.

In other words, there is the game and then there is the mystique around the game. The characters such as Owens, the rivalries and the revved-up fans all draw in television audiences. The NHL just doesn’t have characters or hype unless it is something blatantly obvious-such as Bertuzzi’s first game in Colorado. If Calgary is playing Atlanta we hear more about the teams and the standings instead of the Dion Phaneuf-Ilya Kovalchuk match-up. There has to be anger, storylines and hype for the NHL to compete.

The NFL, obviously, has certain advantages such as teams only playing once a week, the larger amount of players and its ease to televise. The NHL, however, can seize upon its own attributes. For one, the players can literally fight each other and do anything stopping short of bringing a knife or gun onto the ice-the NHL is the ultimate gladiator sport and, therefore, perfect for rivalries. Second, some teams like the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, have a mystique surrounding their fans and stadium, and the teams could easily be marketed like that in the NHL-the Philadelphia Flyers are mean, Edmonton’s fans are noisy, Florida has a bunch of grumpy old men.

This leads to a more important, all-encompassing point that die-hard fans are probably turning over in their minds right now. Why should anyone care that the NFL has billions of dollars more than the NHL and is eminently more successful in every possible way? After all, we Canadians still like hockey-ratings have never been higher. The answer is that we shouldn’t care if the NFL is bigger than the NHL. But as fans, we can’t help ourselves; watching a flamboyant Chad Johnson is just more fun than watching a muzzled Darcy Tucker.

Behind the Bench, Sports

THIRD MAN IN: Holding the court in contempt

by Matt Chesser on

More in Behind the Bench:

To quote the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

As a Canadian citizen, I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on the United States’ Constitution, nor am I going to pretend that I could name an amendment in the Bill of Rights before looking it up on Wikipedia. I’m not even a law major; in fact I only recently learned that a brown paper bag isn’t an adequate disguise for an open bottle of vodka.

Nonetheless, it seems to me that the recent trial and sentencing of Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams for contempt of court is a ridiculous abuse of the spirit of the First Amendment, seriously threatening investigative journalism as we know it.

Now I will admit that I’m slightly biased, being in the position of a quasi-journalist. That being said, the fact that Fainaru-Wada and Williams have been sentenced to 18 months in jail (the duration of the current grand jury), while steroid dealer Victor Conte-the “mastermind” behind the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) scandal-received only four months, is a serious breach of the basic principle of fairness. Not to mention the fact that a certain large-domed perjurer walks free.

But the more pressing issue is that of freedom, or more specifically, freedom of the press. Fainaru-Wada and Williams were the co-authors of a series of San Francisco Chronicle articles detailing the pervasiveness of steroids in professional sports, and later, the co-authors of the groundbreaking Game of Shadows that exposed Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Jason Giambi and Tim Montgomery as users of performance-enhancing drugs.

Unfortunately for Fainaru-Wada and Williams, the most convincing material found in the book was information from classified federal grand jury testimonies, which the authors received from an unnamed source. Months after the publication of the book, the US government decided to investigate who leaked these supposedly confidential testimonies. The two reporters refused to name their confidential source-who had unquestionably violated US law by revealing grand jury testimony-and now they will pay the price for their silence.

Now I understand this is no Watergate, but journalists need to have the freedom to report on injustices committed against the public. Would “Deep Throat” have informed Woodward and Bernstein of the Watergate scandal if a situation similar to the BALCO debacle occurred beforehand? Is this case, which is not a matter of national security, nor a breach of safety, really worth pursuing?

If nothing else, this trial has ignited a debate over the role of media in our society, a debate that will hopefully be resolved by the passing of a proposed national shield law which is currently before the US Senate. But Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams did a service by revealing the corrupt nature of pro sports and forcing the owners to clean up the major leagues. President Bush even commended the reporters on their work over dinner at the White House earlier this year. Now, they have become martyrs for their cause, while the real criminals walk free.

Sports

UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Does the NHL really need a pre-season?

by on
  • Author

More in Sports:

The NHL pre-season isn’t a hotbed of competitive juices. Nor should it be used as a barometer for how one’s favourite team will fare in the upcoming season-more often than not, the best exhibition teams are the worst squads during the real games and vice-versa. Pre-season hockey is really about two things: 1) Guys who attempt to make an NHL club, which if they do, will mean riding the bench for 75 games, and 2) The small town fans. And it’s for reason number two that the NHL pre-season is an important event on the September calendar.

Hockey is unique in that it is a rural sport-the greatest players of all time are mostly from the smaller towns around the larger metropolitan areas. We fans in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa are spoiled as we get to see these hockey titans play live at our whim. But the heart and soul of hockey is in Canada’s more isolated regions-see the CBC’s annual Hockey Day in Canada. Last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins played the Philadelphia Flyers in Moncton, NB, just days after Sidney Crosby’s Cole Harbour friends and family got to see him in Halifax. A week before that, the Phoenix Coyotes-the former Winnipeg Jets-made their return to the city that once adored them. And earlier in the year, the CBC’s Hockeyville contest winner, Salmon River, NS, was awarded the opportunity to host an NHL pre-season tilt.

That’s what the pre-season is for! So the people of Moncton can watch the game they love at the highest level possible; so the people of Cole Harbour can watch their native son dominate; and so the kids of Salmon River can see their heroes live-an experience that we urbanites take for granted.

-Aaron Sigal

I can see why the pre-season was once necessary. I’m sure that back in the days of the Original Six, guys like Maurice Richard and Bobby Hull would show up to training camp overweight, out of shape and having not laced up a pair of skates in months. But like parachute pants and the telegram, there comes a time when certain innovations become obsolete.

Today’s NHLer never really leaves the ice or falls out of shape. On the contrary, the summer is now a time for players to hone their skills and become faster or more powerful for the coming season.

Nonetheless, most NHL teams feature an eight game pre-season schedule crammed into a span of two weeks. Teams cite the need to evaluate talent and build team chemistry as reasons for the lengthy yet compressed schedule.

Of course, these claims are not at all in line with reality. The Montreal Canadiens for example, took 54 players into training camp this year with all but two or three roster spots already locked up. Now, while the goals of building team chemistry and evaluating talent are noble ones, they certainly aren’t best accomplished with 54 bodies running around.

What’s actually taking place here is a cash grab. The Canadiens, for one, charge full admission rates to their most fanatical devotees-because really, who else is watching this stuff-to attend games which pit disinterested stars against scrubs. Absolutely nothing is on the line for 90 per cent of the players on the ice, while hardcores in the stands just get shafted again.

-Charlie Blore

Arts & Entertainment

POP RHETORIC: I like it on top

by Dove Konda-Foley on

More in Arts & Entertainment:

Montreal is renowned for doing a lot of things very well – festivals, live music, smoked meat, poutine – but sometimes the things it does badly are overlooked. Specifically, pizza. There is no great pizza in Montreal. I know pizza isn’t a Montreal specialty, like smoked meat, but one might expect at least a few places to sneak in and corner the market. I’m not talking about artichoke and goat cheese pizza from Pino or Bice; gourmet pizza doesn’t count. I’m talking about cheap, by-the-slice pizza with no toppings fancier than some pepperoni or veggies. The good, cheap, clog-your-arteries pizza with homemade crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Right now, you’re probably thinking of all the times you’ve had 99-cent pizza on your way home from Vol or Bifteck. It was delicious at the time, and therefore you are thinking that I couldn’t be more wrong. But drunken love of Montreal pizza doesn’t count, because we all know that drunken judgment often overlaps bad, or at least questionable, judgment. Of course it tasted incredible- just like that guy looked hot… until you see him when you’re sober and get a little dose of reality. There just isn’t a comparable wake up call for the pizza. If you think back on all your time at McGill (which I realize may only be a few weeks for some), have you ever eaten pizza totally sober and thought that it was actually great?

Now, I am not very picky when it comes to pizza. In general, I agree with that bumper sticker that says something like “sex is like pizza, when it’s good, it’s really good and when it’s bad, it’s still good.” Or something like that. However, in my four years here I have found that a lot of pizza is actually bad, and the rest of it is okay at best. Obviously I haven’t been to every pizza place downtown – I’m not a freak – but I have been to a lot of them and I think one of the things I find most bizarre is the pepperoni. Why is it huge, hidden under the cheese, and why does it taste like bologna? The first time I ever ordered pepperoni pizza in Montreal, I called back to say that they’d gotten the order wrong. I couldn’t imagine that a pizza place would have a bologna pizza, but that was clearly what my brother and I had gotten. They assured us that we had received pepperoni and had no idea what I was talking about regarding the bologna situation. I assumed it was a freak accident and that the language barrier (and not my vagueness) was the reason they didn’t understand what I meant by “real” pepperoni. I soon learned, however, that this soft, flavorless meat-pulp is the standard for pepperoni in this city.

I mentioned that I thought Montreal pizza was generally pretty bad to some friends this past week and about half of them disagreed with me. After thinking about this for a while, I decided that there are three reasons a person would really believe that pizza here is good. The first is that they have only really ever had it while under the influence when, let’s be honest, everything tastes good. The second, that after having lived here for a couple of years, many people start to adjust to the standard and therefore their entire perspective changes- what was once mediocre is now pretty damn good. The last is that they have no sense and just enjoy really shitty pizza.

So if you think that I’m wrong, you have three options: go to the place you’re thinking of that has such great pizza, eat it sober, think back to the best pizza you’ve ever had in your life, and then compare that to what you’ve been eating lately or, admit that you like terrible pizza.

Sports

MEN’S LACROSSE: Redmen lose a heartbreaker in overtime

by Matt Chesser on

More in Sports:

The wind was howling Saturday afternoon at Forbes Field, conspiring with the McMaster Marauders to blow away McGill’s chance at an undefeated season. Two unanswered overtime goals, including a hat-trick marker for the Marauder’s Matt Morgan, left the Redmen on the wrong side of a 10-8 score.

With the game on the line in overtime, the Redmen looked flat allowing McMaster’s Blair Plewman to stand unchecked at the side of the net and easily blast a top corner shot past goalkeeper P.J. Baisley’s shoulder. The loss dropped McGill back into the middle of the pack, with three games away from home remaining. The Redmen had won five straight games coming into the match-up against the Marauders.

“We played mediocre lacrosse today,” said Head Coach Timothy Murdoch. “I think that, unfortunately, we hadn’t really come across any talented teams until today. We were outplayed.”

Perhaps coincidentally, the Redmen seemed to play strongest with the wind at their backs, storming to a 3-1 lead in the first quarter and out-shooting the Marauders 7-1 in the third quarter. McGill staked an early lead due to strong play from Nick Moreau, who scored the first two goals. However, the Marauders had tied the game at four by halftime.

Victory gone with the windThe Redmen were dominant in the third quarter, making Marauder’s goaltender Will McDermott look like a man in front of a firing squad. In fact, McGill had already taken five shots on net before the Marauders managed their only shot of the quarter. McGill’s strong play was highlighted with an amazing individual effort by Moreau, who left the defence choking on his dust before wiring a top corner shot past McDermott from 12 yards out.

McMaster managed to climb back into the game in the fourth quarter, but the Redmen appeared to clinch their sixth straight win after Jacob Safarik fired home his second goal of the game with the man-advantage. But just over one minute later, McMaster’s Matt Morgan stepped out from behind the net and tied the game with only 1:45 left to play. In the extra frames, it was Marauder domination as they out-shot the home team 4-1. The result was inevitable.

Still optimisticAlthough the overtime loss was tough to swallow, there were several bright spots for the Redmen-Safarik notched four points, Moreau registered a hat-trick and Jimmy Daruwalla had a strong two point effort.

“I think, as a team, we have some fundamental things we need to work on,” said Daruwalla. “Our transition, from defence to offence, was weak.”

Midfielders Arthur Phillips and Scott Bailey also had goals in the losing effort, but according to Coach Murdoch, the player of the game was sparingly-used midfielder Donner Carr. Despite being extremely sick, Carr won every face-off he took, in a truly gutsy effort by the freshman from Rhode Island.

The team now heads out on the road to take on Queen’s and Laurier before returning home for a tournament on Thanksgiving weekend. While an undefeated season is no longer in the cards, the Redmen must not let the loss put them down if they hope to compete for the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association championship.

Arts & Entertainment

REVIEWS

by on
  • Author

More in Arts & Entertainment:

Motörhead. Kiss of Death. It’s time to dust off the cowboy boots and iron cross belt buckle and cut a rug to the 19th album by the UK’s original beer-drinkers and hell-raisers. Though markedly Motörhead, as per the abundance of ammunition adorning the cover to the plodding bass and bourbon-drenched vocals of front man Lemmy Kilmister, Kiss of Death is a pretty standard speed/thrash metal offering. Philip Campbell’s guitar playing is fierce, but quickly falls into a monotony characterized by repetitive and not-quite-catchy-enough riffs. The album’s best track, “God Was Never On Your Side,” featuring glam-rock darling C.C. DeVille, is a slow, power-ballady denunciation of religion in favour of reason. The track succeeds in shifting the tone of the album and giving a renewed energy to the next couple tracks – an energy that, once again, is derailed by its own speedy, steady sameness. Exceptional amidst the album’s latter half, however, is “Christine,” an ode to every bleached-denim heavy metal chick saintly enough to ever sleep with dudes as gnarly as the blokes from Motörhead. The song achieves that level of lyrical metal decadence that borders on transcendence-“She moves like a rattlesnake made out of razorblades/That girl can’t help it, just the way she’s made.” All in all, a mediocre outing from another antiquated metal institution. File this one somewhere between Iron Maiden’s Virtual XI and all that post-Ozzy Sabbath you never listen to.-John Semley

Lives Of Many. Until We Lay This To Rest. Five guys, deep stares, roses, black splotches and an intense haircut. This Manitoban group was formed three year ago and, after self-producing and releasing two demo Ep’s, Lives Of Many was named the winner of the Class of 2005 Platinum Award. Lives Of Many’s debut album Until We Lay This To Rest is a neutral mix of often repeated sounds and similar vocal variations. The first song on the album, “The Past Will Be Buried,” immediately prompts one to reconsider whether listening to the entire album in one sitting (or even several) is a good idea. Fortunately, this tepid emo-punk effort shows some improvement and eventually, the confusing, pointless lyrics marginally improve in quality as the last song rolls around. Noteworthy tunes are “Cordova Mines(PART IV)” and “My Stomach and Kidneys Rebelled.” Until We Lay This To Rest is a reasonable effort on the part of aspiring music writers and performers. However, solid lyrical content is seriously lacking and makes one wonder about a group’s staying power, especially one whose instrumental segments do nothing to distinguish themselves from most pop-punk and emo bands out there. All in all, this is a debutant’s album, the kind you find for sale at a concert where there are as many opening bands as there are spectators. As soon as the beer is gone, the fun is gone too, ’cause the music ain’t gonna hold it together. Good try fellows, see you next time…maybe.-Ben Lemieux

The Dunes. Socializing w/Life. After re-mastering and re-working Socializing w/Life, this Toronto based-band was finally up to sending their masterpiece into open waters. The Dunes’ debut album is a staggeringly original piece of work. While their sound can easily be compared to the Coldplay/Bends-era Radiohead compositional school, their debut album stretches beyond the confines of contemporary pop songwriting, boasting a lovely intermingling of jazz, blues, country and rock. Its soft ballads are surprisingly distinguished from one another and make a lasting impression on the listener. The lyrics are pretty abstract, but formulated in a way that leaves the songs up to the listener’s interpretation, enabling him or her to identify with each track. The Dunes seem at ease abandoning traditional structures, both in individual songs and in an entire album, and this works to their advantage. This record and group is as good as Calories chocolate cheesecake; it’s worth its weight in gold.-Pamela Fillion

Student Life

FOOD: Ile de where…?

by Keren Tang on

More in Student Life:

Île de la Reunion! If you have any clue as to the whereabouts of this obscure island, then you are probably a Geography major because it seems only a handful of people in this city have even heard of it. J. Pierre Charpentier, the manager of Le Piton de Fournaise, decided that he was sick of the Montreal cold and went abroad and spent six years on this minute southern African island located in the Indian ocean off the east coast of Madagascar. From his tropical experience as a travel guide, he brought back the island atmosphere to the cold winter in Canada, and together with Chantel Matte (in a relationship that is “better than a wife or a husband” according to the two) began the legacy of the only restaurant in Montreal that serves traditional Creole cuisine in a combination of Indian, African and French flavors. Big enough to accommodate little more than 20 people at one time, this tiny hub has been sitting quietly on the corner of Ste. Hubert and Duluth since 1997. Upon entering this gem, one is instantly captivated by all the African artwork adorning the interior – masks, paintings, and postcards brought back by Charpentier that paint a portrait of a distant and colourful world. He has a predilection towards straw hats, which he thinks reflect a unique island culture; the walls are dazzling with various styles of straw hats. A few can even be seen modelled by some happy customers who have had a bit too much to drink. This African atmosphere is further intensified by the background chant of local African music.The menu, a mock-up of a travel pamphlet, introduces some information about the island, so that diners can entertain themselves with facts about the volcanic island while waiting for their food to arrive. Fact gleaned from the menu: Le Piton de Fournaise is in fact the tallest and most active volcano on the island with an altitude of 263 metres. Just last year, the volcano erupted five times and has been labelled the “one that never sleeps.” As the rest of my party slowly arrived with more vin to this BYOW establishment, we dined and drank to an opener of lima beans soaked in basil and olive oil. Most of us chose the testing menu, which includes two entrées, one main course, a dessert and coffee or tea. Each time one of us had a question about the item we were consuming, Charpentier came around and showed us the exotic vegetable. “I’ll let you smell something,” he muttered and came around five minutes later with a Kafir lime, which is used in the chicken, swordfish and red snapper dishes. While some of us were eating the tropical salad, he displayed the main ingredient, the crispy-textured chayotte, which is in the squash family. Although many dishes tasted and seemed rather ordinary, such as the water cress soup (it resembles a regular spinach soup) and the vegetarian dish (a mixed vegetable plate that you can easily reproduce in your own kitchen), their specialty seafood (octopus and shark) is not to be missed. I tasted all the platters around the table. The shrimp, pork, red snapper – with a dash of lemon grass aroma – and shark cari, despite being slightly too salty, were indeed true to the local’s exotic claim. The food certainly does have a discernable Indian/African touch, notably in the soft texture of the meat and rice and the eggplant/tomato/lemon dips that resemble those found in Indian restaurants. Unlike the traditional Réunion cuisine, the restaurant food, influenced by other cultures such as Indian, is more soft and slightly spicierAs for dessert, the chocolate cake with whipped cream on top, chocolate syrup and fruit on the side is appropriately named le Piton des Neiges, another volcanic peak on the island. When asked how this particular island sets itself apart from other Creole cultures, Charpentier replied, “in terms of food, it resembles that of Martinique very much, but each island culture is always unique. The people are different in the way they act. I used to have a Réunion chef, who acted very differently than the Martinique chef we have right now.”Charpentier and Matte haven’t returned to the island since Charpentier’s six-year sojourn, because airline tickets price out around $2,000, with itineraries hopping through various cities in the most circumlocuted way. In case you don’t have that kind of travel cash at your disposal, you can always experience a piece of the island right in the Plateau and even bring your own wine.

Scale of 10Food: 7Interior decor: 8Bathroom: 8Service: 8.5

www.restolepiton.com 835 rue Duluth EstMontreal, QC H2L 1B2514-526-3936

Arts & Entertainment, Music

MUSIC: Rejecting the Metric system

by Emily Dolmans on

More in Arts & Entertainment:

“I wish I could make it that everyone who sees the Soft Skeleton has to drink Guinness,” says Emily Haines, Metric’s cool, commanding and completely sexy front woman, as she takes another swig, “but it’s okay if you’re having, like, a vodka soda. I just don’t think you’ll totally get what we’re doing, but that’s okay!”

Despite the absence of Guinness anywhere in the general vicinity, last Monday night’s show at Le National Théâtre was not lost on many. The spectators, even if sober, were completely entranced.

Haines opened with the thought-provoking “Our Hell,” then proceeded to play the rest of her album, as everyone sat down (how civilized), eyes closed and absorbed sound waves with smiles.

Haines’ new solo album, Knives Don’t Have Your Back, although diametrically opposing the rough-and-tumble electronic excitement of previous Metric albums, is no less engaging. Heart-felt, heart-breaking lyrics are superimposed onto soft, organic piano refrains, complemented by a wistful, natural and almost-eerily dystopian atmosphere.

At the show, Haines’ “Soft Skeleton,” her two man back-up band, was almost superfluous. The set would have been even more striking and powerful with just a solo pianist, without the distraction of a drummer and guitarist. Basically, the Skeleton was soon forgotten beneath a skin of beautiful, cascading melodies. Haines’ voice and the impressionistic, sonographic black and white video clips played repeatedly on an overhead projector were hypnotic. It was difficult not to be mesmerized if you were watching the images flickering on-screen or admiring Haines’ vivid and intense facial expressions as she compellingly sang the words which obviously meant so much to her: “[I’d] Rather give the world away than wake up lonely… to thyself be true.”

Forty-five minutes after she first ensnared the crowd into her own gentle, psychedelic fantasyland, she announced that she was playing her last song. Disappointment filled the crowd.

No show should be that short, even if you’ve played your new album all the way through and played it damn well. Fans were further disappointed by the absence of an encore… no Metric songs adapted for solo performance, nothing from her 1996 solo album Cut in Half and Also Double. The audience was a little upset, needless to say, because 50 cents a minute is a little pricey for poor students, even for a trip to Emily Haines’ world of dreams and tears.

So what is Haines like sans Metric? The artist may be touching on the question herself with the rhetorical “what’s a wolf without a pack?” that she asks in “Winning,” the concluding song of her album. A wolf without its pack may be lonely, vulnerable and world-weary, and so is Haines without her Metric. That’s not to say she delivers her new art without style or grace. Her set may have been a tad short, but true fans would probably forgive her, and thank her for taking them on an intimate journey through her heart. She probably just wanted to take the night off to drink more Guinness anyway.

Student Life

NIGHTLIFE: Place your best and lose your shirts

by Tessa Blanchfield on

More in Student Life:

In an utterly charming, sultry voice, Mademoiselle Oui Oui Encore explains that burlesque “is not about sex; it is about seduction, and most of all, confidence in yourself.”  Blue Light Burlesque is the only troupe of its kind in Quebec, and this Thursday night over a dozen performers will be stripping down and heating up La Tulipe in a show entitled “Place Your Bets! Hot Las Vegas Nights.”

Combining equal parts comic timing and seduction, the women of Blue Light Burlesque are extremely talented at joking in pantomime while removing their panties. Twelve to 16 troupe members, consisting of both men and women, perform 20 original skits in two acts.

Since its conception three years ago, the troupe has staged eight shows, all theme-oriented and all major successes. Incorporating cabaret as well as burlesque, the performances are held in intimate locations, where guests can sip cocktails while enjoying the spectacle.

Mademoiselle and her boyfriend and co-founder, Blue Eyes, are involved in every aspect of the show. They conceive, produce, act in and direct the show, as well as manage their Web site, www.bluelightburlesque.com and make intricate, erotic costumes.

In preparation for the company’s first show opening, Mlle. Oui Oui Encore was so preoccupied with organization that it wasn’t until she was about to go on stage that she realized she had never stripped before! Completely improvising, she strut her stuff, ruffled her fan and had the time of her life. Now a veritable expert in the erotic art of teasing, Mademoiselle teaches six-week striptease courses and sells pasties and corsets at the show and on the Web site.

It was not always so clear that Blue Light Burlesque would have a successful future. Mademoiselle had moderate expectations about the troupe’s first performance. “I was expecting 25 people at the most; I’m always the most insecure about the show. We had to book a Monday night because that was the only night we could afford. But we sold out! It was like a riot, everyone was trying to get in.”

Not only did the crowd show up, they dressed up. Women wore flappers, corsets and feathers in their hair. Men donned tuxedos and fedoras. For Mademoiselle, “It was like a dream. People respected the show and became a part of it.”

Not everyone embraces the retro-chic style and Mademoiselle will certainly not turn someone away for wearing jeans. However, she does point out that burlesque is the perfect occasion for “those sexy dresses that are just a bit too sexy.”

Despite the swank appearances, Mademoiselle cheekily admits that this is not an intellectual show. Her goal is to help people forget about their worries for two hours and to leave the theater happy. Troupe members do not take themselves seriously, “We are not Cirque du Soleil.” But they are the pioneers of Quebec burlesque and the retro-culture embedded in the show is prevalent in Mademoiselle’s and Blue Eyes’ lifestyle. “It’s not just the fifties; I like the twenties and thirties and forties too. I love the aesthetics of that time. It’s the clothes, the music, the pin-ups. My boyfriend and I love to dance; we’ve been teaching swing for years. The first time I saw burlesque it was so much fun; I knew we had to start it in Quebec.”

The art of burlesque now holds a special place in Mademoiselle’s heart. “It’s really special, it’s not like the strip clubs on Ste-Catherine’s-it’s different. You can have the shape that you have; it is even suggested that you don’t have to be perfect. Your personality shows through, and if you do a good job the people love you.” And there is no reason not to love Mlle. Oui Oui Encore and her posse of provocative players.

Features

FEATURE: Extra, Extra!

by Joanna Reznick on

More in Features:

As informatiive – and enthralling – as student textbooks are, in order to be a truly knowledgeable student in Montreal, it is important to read the city newspapers (no, the Tribune doesn’t count). Although McGill is situated in the heart of one of the most socially and politically active cities in Canada, many students are unaware of what happens beyond the campus gates. Montreal is a diverse city and produces four equally diverse papers — try picking one up.

As the only English-language daily newspaper in city, the Montreal Gazette has a large and devoted readership. It is one of the oldest newspapers in North America and actually began in the late 1700s as Le Gazette, a French-language newspaper. Le Gazette evolved into a bilingual paper, but by the early 19th century, the paper decided to present the news solely in English. Today, The Gazette is the primary paper for Montreal’s Anglophone community. Although it tends to separate itself from the Bloc Quebecois and many of its past contributers — such as William Johnson and Paul Wells — are associated with the Conservative party, the Gazette remains a politically neutral publication.

The name, Le Devoir, translates to “The Duty” in English. Le Devoir is a French-language, independently owned newspaper with a deeply rooted and highly controversial history. Henri Bourassa, a political figure of the early 20th century who was a strong advocate for francophone rights, founded Le Devoir in 1910. Throughout its existence, the paper has been closely associated with Quebec sovereignty and Nationalism. Although it is a highly intellectual newspaper, Le Devoir has a relatively small readership in comparison to other Montreal newspapers and continues to struggle to stay afloat.

La Presse is a French-language newspaper with a broad readership aimed at the middle-class bilingual and francophone populations. La Presse and Le Devoir are pitted against one another politically due to the fact that La Presse has published many articles opposing Quebec sovereignty. Praised for its aestethics, the publication won a number of Canadian National Newspaper awards for their in-depth international coverage of news in Niger and Afghanistan.

Le Journal de Montreal is the youngest French-language daily tabloid with the widest circulation and largest readership. This tabloid paper is a major competitor for La Presse because of its simplicity and lack of political affiliation. Interestingly, these two papers are also historically intertwined: Le Journal de Montreal was started during a strike at La Presse and the two papers have competed for readership ever since. Respected political figures such as René Lévesque and Robert Bourassa have contributed columns to the publication.

1 … 1,311 1,312 1,313 1,314 1,315 … 1,367

Read the latest issue

Read the latest issue