Mike's Bloggity Blog

Today’s the big day!  I’m in Madrid, Spain to experience the Amex Unstaged music series, where Coldplay will play live in a bullring tonight. Seriously, how insane is my life right now? I’m about to see one of my favourite bands ever, in one the coolest countries I’ve ever been to. The fact that I’m doing it with three other Canadian bloggers, 1loveTO, She Does The City and Hip Urban Girl, makes the experience even more unreal.

But one of the coolest aspects of the concert – besides the fact that it’s being directed by filmmaker Anton Corbijn – is that I won’t be watching it alone. Along with the thousands of people in the stadium, the whole concert will be live-streamed to the entire world as a VEVO event on YouTube. Following the live performance, the concert will be rebroadcast for the next several hours, and live, on-demand clips will be available for another 48-hours at www.YouTube.com/ColdplayVEVO.

When it’s time (2 pm MST), click here to watch the live stream and see if you can spot me.  I’ll be the bald guy screaming my head off. I’m also going to be live Tweeting from the concert using the hashtag #amexunstagedCAD.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go warm up my lungs.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, today, I’m heading to Spain to see Coldplay play live in Madrid at the world famous Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas! Yes, that’s a bullring! It’s all part of the Amex Unstaged experience, and I’m so lucky to be one of the four bloggers in all of Canada who get to go. (I’m actually the only one not from Toronto, so I’ll try to represent all the other provinces and territories as best as I can!)

This is actually my second trip to Spain.  Back in university, I lived in Granada for a few months because I wanted to learn Spanish.  It was an amazing experience, albeit a little stressful, since a kid from New Brunswick had no right planning a two-month-long trip to Spain by himself. This week’s trip to Madrid will be great because last time I was there, I was so tired from the planning and overwhelmed at the new language that I actually slept for a few hours in the Prado museum.

Because the focus of the trip will be the Unstaged experience, we will have only a day or so of free time, so I wanted to make sure that, this time, I get to see as much of Madrid as possible. And so enters the Amex Concierge. Think Siri, but an actual live person. In preparation of our trip, the Concierge team – available to Platinum and Centurion Cardmembers – booked our flights and hotels and made the whole experience super easy.

When I go travelling, I like to pack in as much as I can.  That’s why I usually travel alone, because very few people can adapt to my “Sleep When You’re Dead” motto, instilled in me by my father.  So I was super excited that my concierge could also help me plan what I was going to do with a few days in Madrid. I love taking photos, so I said a great walking tour or a boat tour would be great.  Another one of the bloggers suggested a soccer game… sorry, I mean football game … and I nearly died.  Of course, how could I go to Spain and not see a real football game! Then there’s the food. Ohhh, the food. I’m so excited to find some real paella. Just thinking about it now, makes my palms sweat.

What I loved about the Amex concierge is that they organize the trip for us directly based on our ‘must do’ wishlist. Now if I knew I had a few weeks in Madrid, I would probably spend a ton of time on the Internet researching, reading reviews, checking travel guides. But if an Amex concierge can do it for me, that takes away A LOT of stress. After we spoke on the phone, I got a complete itinerary of the activities available to me, including distances from the hotel, costs and how long each activity might take. I’ve printed off all of the recommendations and when I land on Tuesday, I know I’m going to have an amazing 72 hours.

What’s even better is that once I get to Spain, itinerary in hand, I have a 1-800 number that I can call if I need some last-minute advice or have any questions. It’s super important to me that I don’t waste a second of my trip, and with the Amex concierge, I know that I won’t.

Stand by for photos … lots and lots of photos.

Don’t you love when all you have to do is watch a video and know that money will be donated to a good cause?  What if that video happened to have the grooviest dancers over sixty years old that you’ve ever seen? What if I told you those dancers happened to be scientists! Well, then you are luck!

This dance-tastique video was posted by the University of McGill and for every view it gets, Medicom will donate money to the Goodman Cancer Research Centre. So far the vid has more than 239,000 views, so I hope Medicom has deep pockets.

There are some seriously hilarious dance moves in this video, so if this doesn’t cure your case of the Mondays, I don’t know what will!

If you’re starting to look for Christmas gifts, I have a good suggestion for you. Actually, it’s quite bad.  In fact, it’s A Bad Portrait.

Ever since May, artist Mandy Stobo (pictured above) has been painting what she calls Bad Portraits and since then, they have become all the rage here in the city. A mix between a painting and a caricature, the relatively cheap ($20-$60) piece of art work, forces to look at some of your strongest features, from a completely new perspective.   This weekend, I got to see a small show that she put at the Market Collective and I was amazed how many people were lined up to get their bad portrait done.  It’s funny to think that we all spend so much money on clothes and things like that to make ourselves look good, but with Mandy’s paintings everyone is happy to pay to look bad.

A few months ago, Mandy did a portrait of me and I’ll be honest, the first time I saw it, I did not like it.  It’s hard to look at yourself like that.  But once I put my ego aside, I totally understood why it was so cool.  Now I’m only left with the question of where to put it?  I’m guessing above my bed would not help…things.

For more information about Mandy and her bad portraits, check out here website.

You know how I’ve always encouraged you to start blogs? It’s a great way to express yourself, write about something you’re passionate about and meet cool new people. Plus, every now and then, a blog can lead you to the opportunity of a lifetime.

Trust me, I know.

I’ve just found out that, next Monday, I’ll be one of four bloggers in the entire country heading to Spain to see Coldplay perform live in the world famous Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid! Like I said, an opportunity of a lifetime.

I’ll be there experiencing the “American Express Unstaged” music series, which has already featured many of the world’s best bands teamed up with amazing filmmakers for an unforgettable concert experience. Since launching last year, the series has featured Arcade Fire directed by Terry Gilliam; John Legend & The Roots directed by Spike Lee; Sugarland directed by Kenny Ortega; Duran Duran directed by David Lynch; and My Morning Jacket directed by Todd Haynes.

Next week’s concert with Coldplay is being directed by filmmaker Anton Corbijn, who’s best known for the film “The American” with George Clooney and more than 70 music videos involving such artists as U2, Nirvana and Depeche Mode.

What’s really great about this whole experience is that I won’t be doing it alone. While I’ll be saying ‘hola’ to Spain alongside the three other Canadian bloggers, millions of music fans from around the world will still be able to watch the concert via live-streams on VEVO and YouTube, allowing for an interactive concert experience unlike anything you’ve never been before. It really is the concert of the future. Click here to join the conversation on Facebook and find the links to watch the concert live from the comfort of your home next Wednesday.

It’ll be a timely concert, too. Coldplay will release their brand new album Mylo Xyloto on Oct. 24, so I think the band is going to be in fine form next week in Spain.

To help make things even more awesome, American Express Unstaged is offering up the chance for you to be involved in the actual concert. If you head to the Unstaged website and make a special butterfly before Oct. 24, it might be chosen and featured during the actual Coldplay concert from Madrid!

But if you guys are looking for your own amazing music experience here at home, I should also let you know about Amex’s Front of the Line program, where cardholders can purchase tickets to some of the hottest events in town before they go on sale to the general public. We’re talking shows like Drake, Blue Rodeo and Britney Spears.

Next week’s whirlwind trip is obviously going to be amazing. And for the first time since graduating from university, it looks like I’ll finally get the chance to use my Spanish degree!

As I had mentioned, earlier this week I was back in my hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick.  While I’ll always be a proud Maritimer, I haven’t lived in New Brunswick for six years, so it makes me wonder where I really belong.  It’s a battle of my hometown this week, which one should I choose. Do I choose McLobsters or the Mountains?  It’s nearly impossible.

Click here to read my column.  Feel free to weigh in, I always love reading your comments!

Okay Canada, we might not always get Broadway or West End quality theatre, but I really think that is going to change, like NOW!

Dancap Productions has just announced its 2012 series for Toronto and it’s good, real good. It will include Green Day’s American Idiot, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast , Shrek the Musical, the recent Broadway revival of West Side Story and In The Heights. The only one that I’ve never heard of is Million Dollar Quartet, if you have, do you know if it’s any good?

Almost of all the shows are Bloggity approved (that’s a thin?, right?) and would be well worth your money to travel Toronto. But if the trip to the home of Shawn Desman, isn’t in the books, don’t worry. Dancap will preview Shrek to Montreal audiences before moving it to Toronto and Jersey Boys will make stops in Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Saskatoon.

For more information on Dancap’s 2012 season, visit DancapTickets.com.

Have I ever told you how much I love books?

No? It’s cause I don’t really. Actually, no, that’s not true. It’s not that I don’t love books, it’s that after years of reading Goosebumps before bed time, I’m prone to fall asleep almost immediately after I start reading. Plus, I’m terrified that the book will possess me and take over my life, but I think that’s a Goosebumps related problem more than anything else.

But this year, I’ve been making a consorted effort to read more than ever, and it’s been really fun to discover some really great reads. If you’re like me and you want to find a fantastic Canadian book, well the timing has never been better. CBC has just released the list of their Top 40 books for Canada Reads: True Stories.

The list, which is packed with non-fiction, biographies and memories includes iconic authors like Farley Mowat, Jane Jacobs, Wayne Johnston, Pierre Berton and Margaret MacMillan; but also up-and-comers like Iain Reid, Robyn Levy, Sarah Leavitt, Scott Chantler and Marina Nemat. There are graphic titles, biographies of Mordecai Richler, Gabrielle Roy and Jane Austen, affecting memoirs, family stories and compelling explorations of Canadian history and our relationship with the environment.

Sadly, there isn’t a single blogger on the list, but click here anyway if you want to see all the books.

Now that you’ve been given forty books to read, you can help other Canadians find the best real-life story in all the country. CBC wants you to vote for the ten favourite titles is now open through midnight Sunday, October 30.

The Top 10 will be revealed on November 1 on CBC’s Q by host Jian Ghomeshi and posted on CBC Books. Then, each of the five 2012 Canada reads panelists (to be announced in November) will choose a title from the Top 10 to defend in the battle of the books in February 2012.

Essentially, by the time this whole Canada Reads thing is over, you’ll have time to read way more than forty books. And me, well I’ll be fast asleep.

Movie buffs, grab your collections, because two of the coolest guys in cinema are heading out on tour! Acclaimed actor and director Kevin Smith joins his long-time friend and on-screen sidekick Jason Mewes across Western Canada for five exclusive engagements in Jay and Silent Bob Get Old. The duo will bring their famous comedic banter live to Vancouver (December 7), Edmonton (December 8), Calgary (December 9), Saskatoon (December 10) and Winnipeg (December 11).

If you’re fans of Mewes and Smith, It’s not like I need to tell you just how many fantastic movies these two have worked together on. Making their debut in Clerks, the first movie written and directed by Smith, they have since built a huge cult following starring in Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Am I the only one who loves seeing how much Kevin Smith loves our country? I had a chance to check out his screening of Red State a few months ago and it was packed with fans who paid a pretty penny just to be close to their favourite director. Smith was appreciative, funny and sincere. And no, I’m not just saying that because he loves Degrassi, almost as much I as do. I said almost.

Click here to get your tickets.

Ever wonder who the funniest person in Canada is?  Well on Monday night, the Canadian Comedy Awards answered that question.

Debra DiGiovanni (Who I know from Video on Trial) and Steve Patterson, who hosts CBC’s The Debaters took home the golden microphone stand.  Actually, I’m not too sure what the award actually looks like, so let’s just go with the microphone stand, mmmkay? The hilarious, if not hard to understand, Nikki Payne won for Best Taped Live Performance.

Comedy awards for the best improv troupe, stand-up newcomer, best film, television show, sketch group, writing, directing and a handful of others were also handed out.  You can click here to see the complete list of winners.

Someone who might be a little more well-known to you, The Daily Show’s Samantha Bee was awarded Canadian Comedy Person of the Year. Jason Priestly won Best Television Performance (Male) for his role on HBO Canada’s Call Me Fitz.  I still haven’t seen this show, but it’s won so many awards, it’s pretty hard to ignore.  If only I wasn’t too cheap to order HBO Canada.

Congrats to all the winners!

Speaking of comedy, did I ever show you the video of my 89 year old grandmother doing standup comedy……?