Mike's Bloggity Blog

Today was definitely a day of firsts. Most notably, I hosted my very first fashion show.  Yes people, it’s true.  I initially thought I was indeed the last person on earth, but The Core insisted they wanted me to host their Fall Luxury Fashion show.  I was immediately concerned because, I’m not definitely not the most stylish person around.  (Don’t let the outfit fool you, that was crafted together by a team of 15 of my friends.)

But when the moment came to start hosting, it was actually quite fun.  If I wasn’t nervous enough, The National was there filming Mayor Nenshi has he watched the show, now I fear that Ian Hanomansing, thinks I represent Calgary fashion.   But in the end, everything went off without a hit.  I even learned that there was a store called BCBG.  How crazy of a name is that?

When the glitz and the glamour of the fashion show was over, it was time to announce the winner of the Core Mini Challenge. All week long, I had done every thing I could to make sure that I got the most photos of the now infamous Core Mini.  I took it to Flames Games, 17th Avenue, Business parks, shopping centres, you name it, The Core Mini was there.  Sometimes I was even lucky enough to be followed by the Perogy Boyz and Fiasco Gelato food trucks, who wanted to lend their support.   It was an amazing (and exhausting) week. But would it be worth it?

You can only imagine my shock and surprise, when Randy Ferguson, Vice President of 20 Vic Management from the CORE announced that Mike’s Bloggity Blog had won and I got to give my $5,000 prize to Kids Up Front.

I shockingly did not cry in public. Wow.  But was it ever an amazing feeling!  They handed me the check and I immediately ran over to Kari Scarlett from Kids Up Front and gave her the check, it was probably the best feeling that I’ve ever had.

In the end, it was probably the busiest week of my life, but it also reminded me how awesome Calgary continues to be.  For a guy not from here, this city is pretty good to me.

So now the Thank Yous, and there’s a lot of them.

Kari and Evan from Kids Up Front.
Breakfast Television
Mount Royal University (especially Danielle Montgomery!)
Perogy Boyz
Fiasco Gelato
Melrose Cafe and Bar
Chelsea Klukas Creative
The Core
Anstice Communications

What could you do with $1,000?

Turns out, with a creative mind, a classic movie and food trucks, you can create perfect fall night.

On Saturday night, I had one of my most favourite nights ever in Calgary, and it was all because of a really cool program called Awesome Calgary.   The initiative sees one lucky Calgarian every month  win $1,000 so they can do something that will make Calgary more awesome.  Well Matthew Hamel won and he decided to create @YYCmobileMovie, a wonderful event that will see classic movies displayed outdoors, for free, for everyone to enjoy.

On this particular Saturday night, it was easily one of the hottest days of the year and a crowd of 200 people gathered to sit under the stars and watch Casablanca. Watching the movie displayed on one of this city’s most historic buildings was just icing on the cake.

The project will continue next week with The Incredibles in Inglewood, and if there’s any lucky, we’ll hopefully see it again next summer.

If you think you have a way to make Calgary, make sure you submit idea to the Awesome Calgary foundation.

Until the next time, here’s looking at you….Calgary.

You know how it’s always so much cooler to own the complete series of a show, then just have an episode? Well here is the complete series of my trip to Chicago and the amazing opportunity that I got to go behind the scenes and meet the cast and crew of Cirque Du Soleil’s OVO.

During my time backstage, I basically made it my goal to make it on to the stage that night. As you’ll see over the series of these videos, it didn’t go well.

The show opens here in Calgary on September 7th, and like every Cirque show, it is AMAZING! Which I’m guessing why they didn’t me to make it better, you know, cause it’s already awesome.

The one where I try to juggle….

The one where I find out about the show!

The one where I dress in the costumes!

The one where I sneak under the stage!

Click here to buy tickets!

As I had mentioned in the last few blog posts, this past weekend Calgary played host to my first ever Pride Parade.  You’d having to be living under a rock to not be surprised that this uber-conservative city even throws a pride parade, but I’d always heard wonderful things about it, and the weather was perfect, so I knew that I would have to go.

It would be interesting for someone from Toronto or Vancouver to visit our parade because they are very different, but I think just as effective. There weren’t any street closures and maybe only 15,000 people showed up, but that’s a 30% increase over last year, so it was substantial.  Some will say that our mayor Naheed Nenshi’s participation was a big draw, but I’d like to think that it’s that this city is slowly catching up to the rest of the Canada.  Calgary is bringing up the rear…if you will.

While there was lots to celebrate, aspects of the parade were disappointing.  Sending the Calgary Flames Street Team, is definitely not sending the Calgary Flames.  Virtually no other sport franchises made an appearance, for that matter beside LGTB organizations and a LOT of politicians (Hello Election year in Alberta!) there weren’t very many business or organizations in attendance at all.  With the float fee only a couple of hundred dollars, I would have expected to see more support.

But overall, the entire day was a ton of fun.  I’m glad my first Pride Parade wasn’t in Toronto or Vancouver, it felt right to be celebrating in Calgary, plus it was really easy to get a spot on the parade route!

Due to a technical error, my Metro column didn’t make it to the newspaper today, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.

This weekend Calgary will be celebrating its 21st annual Pride Parade. Which, you’ll totally be excused for not knowing even existed. After all there are lots of things about this city that I still don’t know about, like what is a Calf Robe and why there are always hundreds of cars parked at that Petro Canada on the way to Canmore?

The coolest thing about this Calgary is that you can always find something new to do, like going to your first Pride Parade. But fret not loyal Metro reader, you won’t be the only person going to the parade for the first time. I’m embarrassed to say that this too will also be the first time that I’ve ever gone to the parade. I also didn’t see Star Wars until years after University, so that should already tell you something about me.

In my social circles, I’m known as the parade snob. Unless there’s a jolly man waving to me at the end of it, I’m usually not interested. And I guess, since Nenshi is this year’s Grand Marshall, I now really have no excuse not to go. Heck, let’s be honest, since it is Pride, it’s safe to assume that there will be lots and lots of jolly men waving at everyone and I’m not talking about The Calgary Flames, who will also be making their first appearance at the Pride Parade.

For me, the cool thing about Pride is that we really don’t have anything like it throughout the rest of the year. Sure there is the Stampede Parade and our same old celebrations, but why not transfer that energy and excitement to the first weekend in September? Are we really so boring that we can only do it once a year? I certainly don’t think so, at least I hope not.

I don’t really know what to expect for my first Pride parade. On one hand, it’s being held in the province that only last year stopped listing homosexuality as a mental disorder, yet on the other, I’ve met some pretty amazing people from the LGBT community, who if nothing else, love defying the expectations and assumptions that people often have about Calgarians. And while I know some people might still have reservations about a Pride Parade, let’s remember, the last parade we all went to in July had machines that literally picked up animal excrement. Yeah, it definitely has to get better.

If you happen to be in Calgary for the weekend and you’re looking for something cool to do, then look no further than this very blog post. As always, Mark Hopkins has whipped up a list of his top weekend activities going in and around the city that I keep forgetting is not the capital of Alberta.

Fiestaval Latin Festival
July 23-24, 2011
Olympic Plaza
fiestaval.ca

Samba, Salsa, Flamenco and Capoeira – this weekend, Calgary comes to life with Latin American culture! This free, family-friendly multicultural event brings a vibrant mix of dancers, musicians, vendors and revelers to Olympic Plaza.

Sun and Salsa Festival
July 24, 2011 – 11:00 am-5:00 pm
Kensington Rd & 10 St NW
www.visitkensington.com/sun-and-salsa

Over 500 gallons of salsa, in 40 different varieties – you’d better brace your taste buds before heading down to Kensington this weekend. The 18th annual Sun & Salsa Festival fills up 10th Street and Kensington Rd with sizzling-hot exuberance, including a pageant and a strongman competition… and, of course, buckets and buckets of salsa.

Historic Calgary Week: Trails & Tales
July 22-August 1, 2011
chinookcountry.org

As we continue to race through the days and look to the future, it’s easy to forget the Calgary has a rich history, full of stories and lessons. Historic Calgary Week gives us the chance to reflect on the city’s past, with tours of local landmarks and neighbourhoods – including Glenbow Museum, the Old Y Centre, Chinatown, churches, theatre, cemeteries and more – alongside talks, workshops and performances.

I got to do something a little special on Friday, I was lucky enough to film a commercial for Urban Mortgage.  I’m not sure how I ended up getting cast, maybe every person in the world was booked that day.

Filming was actually a lot of fun, but man oh man was I nervous.  I guess I’m just way more comfortable behind the computer than I thought I’d be in front of the camera.  Everyone on set did I did great, but my armpit stains may indicate otherwise.  I don’t know why I was so nervous, I only had four lines, but it gave me a whole new appreciation of actors who do it full time!  You guys have nerves of steel!

Actually, this isn’t my first time doing a commercial. When I was in Grade 3, I filmed one for the Government of New Brunswick.  It was very local and very small, but unfortunately the phrase “Mommy, is daddy coming home for Christmas?” stayed with me until high school graduation. I think it was the New Brunswick equivalent of “My friends used to that I eat too many chocolate bars.”  Let’s just say that I’m very happy YouTube didn’t exist back then!

I think the commercials will start airing next week, if I can get a video copy I’ll post it…if it’s not too embarrassing!

I’ve made no secret about my disdain for flash-mobs.  Mostly because they are usually spoiled with ridiculously detailed press-releases which in theory, defeat the purpose of the a flashmob in the first place.

BUT when they are done correctly, they can send chills up your spine, as you imagine the excitement of what it must have felt like to experience the mob first-hand.

That is exactly what happened recently at a local watering hole called the Ironwood, when  Eric wanted to come up with a unique way to propose to his girlfriend Paige.  I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but take a look at the video and try not to keep the tears at bay…I wasn’t able to.

Congrats to Eric and Paige!

Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I wrote that Metro column about Calgary’s archaic transit system and how it needed immediate updates…well today, Calgary Transit announced that Calgarians will soon be able to pay using an electronic debit-type card!  I don’t want to say that it was my column that forced them to make the changes…ah heck, of course I want to say that…although I know it wasn’t.

Either way, Calgary Transit’s announcement is welcome news to anyone that is fed up with the outdated payment options (cash only, no change.)  If catching up to the 90′s wasn’t cool enough, the operation also announced that we’ll get to name our new card.  Hong Kong has The Octopus and soon Calgary will have something too.

The city is asking its citizens to name the new card, which is great since they aren’t hiring an american group and paying them hundreds of thousands of dollars to do something we are capable of doing.

Click here to enter!

For the record, I submitted two entries already.  One is obvious: Bloggity. “Oh crap, I forgot my Bloggity at home, can someone pay for me?”  It has a nice ring to it. The other is a little more realistic: The Quad.  Calgary is divided in quadrants, so it only makes sense.  I’m guessing The City of Calgary will never let me win, so I’m stating for the record that if they do use the Quad, it was my idea.  Yes, I’m that paranoid about my brilliant idea!

Calgarians have until July 3rd to enter, The top three choices will be posted to the Calgary Transit website. The winning smart card name along with the winner will be announced after July 8th, 2011.  The winning entry will live on in history and be used in millions of publications, posters and advertisements and in return, the winner will get….six months free transit.  Seems fair…no?

Fans of the electronic card shouldn’t get too excited, the card is still twelve months away, but I’ll take it regardless.  As long as I have to stop counting quarters like I live in a university dorm, I’m happy.

Can you believe this is the last week of Spring?!  Where did the time go?  Celebrate the final hours of the soggy season with some fantastic events!  As always, I’ve recruited the one and only Mark Hopkins to tell us his three favourite things to do this weekend!

Take it away Mark!

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

Cyclepalooza

i-ROBOT Theatre