After hearing the mental health advocate speak at Western, I was keen to see Margaret Trudeau again at Indigo. Every seat was taken on the first floor at Indigo Manulife and even though she came to promote a self-help book for women, there were quite a few men present.
In her first bestselling book, Changing My Mind, she documented her bouts of depression, but showed no signs of unhappiness last night. Margaret was very giddy on stage, smiling as she spoke about every subject.
I don’t need an excuse to apply for tickets for a live taping of The Social. Now that they’re in season two, I decided to go back. On my way to the taping, I stopped at Starbucks across the street from the studio. I was delighted to see Jess Allen in line. I spotted her immediately and she was very friendly.
Chloe Bent, The Social’s audience coordinator was as friendly as I remembered. She ensured that everyone was excited to join the live audience and encouraged us to cheer by telling us that the biggest fans would receive gift bags with makeup products. One fan was visiting from San Francisco, so she took home a special prize. According to Chloe, the easiest way to look good on TV is to simply nod and smile, without looking like a cheerleader.
CBC just proved that Facebook ads work.
When a few sponsored posts popped up in my feed about their upcoming game show series Canada’s Smartest Person, I quickly signed up to join the studio audience. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of co-host Jessi Cruickshank and Canadian entertainment, so attending a live taping was a no-brainer.
Canada’s Smartest Person tests participants’ knowledge and skills in a unique way that makes it like a hybrid of The Apprentice, Survivor and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. All of the participants are challenged to prove they deserve to earn the coveted title through tasks that range from ordinary to geeky.
I don’t always wear my glasses, but they were a mandatory accessory when I went to Dan Levy’s party at Jonathan+Olivia. When MTV Canada’s The After Show was on air, Jessi Cruickshank stood out as a redhead, while Dan Levy’s distinguishing characteristic was his glasses.
Taking the TTC to Bay and Bloor is a lot cheaper than flying to Manhattan, so I’m glad Jennifer Weiner came to Toronto to dish about journalism, relationships and reality TV.
When I went to New York last spring, I carefully planned the trip around Lauren Graham and Jennifer Weiner’s book signings. Many tourists go to the New York Public Library branch where they filmed Sex and the City, but Jennifer’s panel with Sarah Pekkanen and Elizabeth LaBan was at the Yorkville branch, so I ventured north of FAO Schwarz and sat front row centre.
Once the panel ended, I approached Jennifer’s publicist to request a Toronto stop on her next book tour. Thankfully Indigo and Simon & Schuster made it happen!