Movie Review: The Longest Ride

Photo Source: EW
Photo Source: EW

Recognizing that I’m a Nicholas Sparks fan, I was excited to receive passes to an advance screening of The Longest Ride, which is based on his novel. The movie’s luscious rural North Carolina setting looks nothing like Toronto, so it was nice to escape and be swept away by the romantic script.

Sophia (Britt Robertson) is a college senior eager to finish school and start building a career in New York’s art scene. When her sorority sisters drags her to a rodeo, she meets Luke (Scott Eastwood) and starts dating the bull rider. Meanwhile, their love story is intertwined with another, which dates back to the 1940s.

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April 10, 2015 by

Brands Prank Consumers

You never know what to expect from leading brands on April Fool’s Day. When I sourced content for this roundup, the images and videos I saw ranged from silly to strategic. BMW’s giveaway was probably the most expensive to execute, although Honda’s SUV customizations weren’t cheap either. Kenneth Cole is a sophisticated brand, but they took a risk and went the immature route to target young animal lovers. The videos are ranked in order of personal preference, which is the same as their order based on # of YouTube views. Enjoy!

Kenneth Cole

[2025 Update: Unfortunately, the YouTube videos for the BMW and Honda ads have been removed.]

April 2, 2015 by

SUBWAY Style

Photo Source: CNW

Photo Source: CNW

Hungry for haute couture? Look no further than SUBWAY’s collaboration with Canadian designer Sunny Fong, owner of Vawk, who launched a capsule collection inspired by food at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto.

“We are always looking at new ways to be a part of pop culture and share our healthy living message,” said Kathleen Bell, Director of National Marketing, SUBWAY Restaurants Canada. 

Fashion Week presented an opportunity for SUBWAY to make a bold statement with stunning outfits inspired by their menu. This marked the first time SUBWAY participated in the festivities. Six outfits were seen on the runway, plus two other designs were displayed in the tent with materials from SUBWAY packaging. Backstage, models were fed SUBWAY sandwiches to help energize them — what a filling snack!

March 26, 2015 by

Concert Review: Maroon 5

Hot On The Street - Maroon 5 Toronto - IMG_8486

 

When I heard Maroon 5 was coming to Toronto, I decided to splurge and purchase the Animals package. This included a commemorative ticket, VIP badge, hat and messenger bag. The best part wasn’t the merchandise, but rather my view of Adam Levine from my seat in the ninth row on the floor. His tattoos were within plain sight and I relished the possibility that he was so close, we could make eye contact. We didn’t, but that’s ok.

 

Following a performance by Rozzi Crane, MAGIC! kicked off the night and celebrated their Juno award win. I’m partial to anyone wearing red pants and MAGIC! took that one step further in bold red pantsuits. Snaps for killer fashion! In fact, they seemed to put more effort into their attire than Adam, who wore a black and white graphic t-shirt and black pants.

 

Adam started his set with Animals, and then it wasn’t long until their was a rare interruption: microphone failure. The band has been touring for over ten years and that’s never happened before. What’s a concert without a working microphone? Well, after Adam threw the mic out of frustration, he thought it hit a fan, so he welcomed her onstage, held her hand and hugged her, then gave her an even better seat closer to the stage for the rest of the show. Lucky girl.

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March 17, 2015 by

HOTS Goes To The 2015 Juno Awards

Hot On The Street - Shawn Mendes - 2015 Juno Awards - IMG_8427
Last night, I attended my first televised awards show: the 2015 Juno Awards! It was a lot of fun to watch live and an easy way to see multiple performers in one night. It has always been on my bucket list to see the Junos, so now I can cross that off my list.

 

There was a whole week of events in Hamilton leading up to it, including the gala dinner on Saturday, which Jessi Cruickshank hosted. You know I’m a big Jessi Cruickshank fan and I wish she hosted the main event, even though she isn’t a musician. Instead, Hedley’s Jacob Hoggard hosted the Junos and tried to make us laugh with video sequences that included a cameo by none other than Stephen Harper. eTalk’s Ben Mulroney said hello to Jacob from his seat, where he joked that he was offered the hosting gig as well, but turned down the offer.

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March 16, 2015 by