I've just returned from a little party we threw for my brother's 30th birthday and, as usual, there were plenty of debates / arguments / intense discussions.

One topic was Pixar films. We debated which was the best, which was the worst and which was the highest grossing Pixar movie of them all. I just googled it and can confirm the order in terms of worldwide gross in American dollars.

1. Finding Nemo - $864,625,978
2. The Incredibles - $631,442,092
3. Ratatouille - $621,416,583
4. Monsters, Inc. - $525,366,597
5. Toy Story 2 - $485,015,179
6. Cars - $461,981,604
7. A Bug's Life - $363,398,565
8. Toy Story - $361,958,736
9. WALL-E - $169,162,412 and counting

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I got a chuckle out of the headline of Chris Zelkovich's column in today's Toronto Star. It reads "Argos Not Throwing In Towel".

On behalf of all Toronto Argonaut fans, I'd like to thank the club for not throwing in the towel after a 1-2 start. Considering six of the eight teams in the CFL make the playoffs and we're technically sitting in 2nd place in the Eastern division, I find myself even more relieved that we haven't thrown in the proverbial towel quite yet.

Hang in there, guys. I know it's tough starting 1-2, but teams with that exact record after three games have actually won championships. It's true, you can look it up.

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I'm submitting a song for SLS20 consideration. I'm submitting "Love Is Noise" by The Verve.

My wife will be happy there's new music by The Verve. This tune is the first single off their new album, their first album of new material since Urban Hymns, an album she loved. I can't believe Urban Hymns came out eleven flippin' years ago. That simply cannot be, can it?

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I'm raising a couple of awesome hikers. James is just 6 and Michelle is not yet 4 but when we hit the trails we go whole hog. They don't tire, they don't back down and they actually prefer to lead.

The official trails at Pinery aren't intense enough, so we tack on the sand dunes that snake their way along the lake. I find these adventures gruelling but the kids don't complain. In fact, they beg for more.

Looking back, I should have seen this coming. In 2005 I took James, who was then just three years old, camping at Killarney Provincial Park. Killarney has some fierce trails through rocky terrain and James took them on like a pro. Compared to Killarney's trails, the trails and sand dunes at Pinery are child's play.

Here are my pint-sized heroes striking a menacing pose. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters: 8 out of 10.

Let's see... there's the Leafs vs. Habs, Celtics vs. Lakers, Red Sox vs. Yankees... then there's Ali vs. Frasier, McEnroe vs. Conners, Kobe vs. Shaq, and Billy Mitchell vs. Steve Wiebe.

What? You never heard of that last one? Neither had I until last night, but I've caught up quick. If you, like me, came of age in the era of Pacman, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Asteroid, Zaxxon, Q-Bert, Frogger and the classic arcade games, you will love this documentary about the underdog Wiebe coming at the great ego of Billy Mitchell.

And check out this sweet soundtrack that complements this ultra cool flick. "Pictures Of You" performed by The Cure, "Obsession" performed by Animotion, "You're The Best" performed by Joe Esposito, "Eye Of The Tiger" performed by Survivor and "Everybody Knows" performed by Leonard Cohen.

Note: You crazy canucks with TMN have The King of Kong sitting there On Demand just waiting to be viewed. Trust me, you'll love it.

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While I was unplugged, I had a dream... Steven Page, Scarborough native and Barenaked Ladies founder, was arrested for snorting cocaine in his girlfriend's New York state apartment. In true Canadian style, in my dream Steven Page was snorting the coke through a rolled up Canadian bill. No greenbacks for this card carrying member of the NDP.

Here's a little Toronto Mike BNL background for y'all. I owned two copies of The Yellow Tape purchased at Sam the Record Man downtown at Yonge and Dundas. I was an avid listener of CFNY when they starting playing the crap out of this cassette, giving us an abundance of "Be My Yoko Ono", "If I Had $1,000,000", "Brian Wilson", "Blame It On Me" and even that "McDonald's Girl" cover. This was pre-Gordon and the Barenaked Ladies were massive on 102.1. They were quirky, folksy fun and they were talented.

They were also super wholesome chaps with a typically Canadian humility. They didn't really blow up in the States until "One Week" and that's about when we lost them. They were no longer ours, they now belonged to the world. Although Stunt is in my collection, it marked the end of my BNL fandom. I prefer Rock Spectacle and everything that preceded it. I really loved my yellow tape.

Now back to this dream, Brian Wilson style. It's probably good for a rock star's cred to get caught with a line of coke now and then. It helps move the back catalogue with the extra press and it makes cheesy pop songs sound a little cooler. This was a good move by Steven.

The bad move was making that damn kids record. BNL ain't Raffi, and that whole stunt was wrong. This old school BNL fan is glad they were forced to drop out of the Disney game.

On preview, this dream is no nightmare for Steven Page and the Ladies. Call it impulsive, call it compulsive, call it insane, but if this ludicrous happening was reality, it'd all work out okay. Trust me...

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Pinery Provincial Park, where I've been camping the past few days, is right by Grand Bend, Ontario on Lake Huron. To get there, I take the 401 West to about Kitchener and then Highway 8 toward Stratford.

I like to stop in on one of the many small towns on our way to and from Pinery and pretend I'm a local. They all have a Main Street with a bank, a water tower, a church, a drug store, and usually, they have a Tim Hortons. Today we stopped in Tavistock, Ontario. As I just learnt from tavistock.on.ca:

Tavistock is a German/Scottish community founded in 1848 and famous for its cheese production and fresh meats. Tavistock was founded in 1848 by Capt. Henry Eckstein on the boundary between Oxford and Perth Counties. It served as a gathering place for agricultural workers and soon became equipped with taverns, flour mills, blacksmith shops, general stores and small tradesmen.

If you're ever in Tavistock, tell 'em Tavistock Mike sent ya.

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I've just returned from The Pinery Provincial Park where I've been recharging my batteries for the past three days. It was my third visit to Pinery, and my second in row. Last year around this time I was raving about Pinery's sandy beaches.

We had a very full first day. We set up the tent, ate lunch, went swimming, went for a hike, went swimming again, played with arts and crafts, ate dinner, went on a big hike and hit the hay.

It rained while we slept, which I actually prefer when camping. I find the rain hammering the tent drowns out all that rural silence. Then, we woke up, had breakfast, went for a hike, went for a swim, had lunch, went for a bigger hike, went to story time at the visitor centre to learn about frogs, went for a swim, had dinner, played, relaxed and got ready for bed.

It was hot, the water was warm, the kids were great, the entire mini-vacay was perfect.

I'll have more to share later, in the meantime, here's my Flickr photoset from our camping trip to Pinery.

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Toronto Mike has unplugged for a few days. This is a good time to visit the archives and catch up on what you've missed these past 5.5 years.

If something breaks between now and Saturday, like a big trade involving a Toronto-based franchise, a significant death or World War III, feel free to use the comments of this entry to share your thoughts and discuss the significance of this big trade/death/war.

L8R

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I did this once before and I think I'm going to do it again. Here are recent comments left on this site you may have missed. All of these comments were left within the past week.

I am a huge fan of Roger Rick & Marilyn since I moved to GTA 12 years ago. I think the morning show is very funny and they are very real and personable. I will definitely miss Rick Hodge and wish him all the best. I think it's amazing that they've been a winning combination for 21 or 22 years. I have tried to win Breakfast in Barbados but no luck.

The news about Rick comes just as I am trying to recover from the departure of Marilyn from Cityline. I think that she is excellent at radio and TV.

I was wondering what happened to Lauren on the morning show and I haven't heard Sarah Miller and what happened to the Sound Lounge - Corey Kimm and then Chris Biggs?

So many questions. So little time.

~ Janet, Rick Hodge Escapes Roger, Rick and Marilyn

The City of Toronto will sometimes provide a free Water Trailer to events if requested (a trailer with 10 taps providing constant free cold tap water). htotogo@toronto.ca The City has 2 of these but could build more if demand is there for this free service.

~ Mark Cooper, Questioning the One Bottle Policy

Hey Mike, you have now made my life complete!!! I remember when I would only listen to this tape and the tape from `93. You definitely should send me every song from `92 and `93 *if you have them* thnx! You rock my blue jays sox!

~ Jess, The Ballad of Tom Henke

For the circumstances, Miller is doing pretty well. There's no way to cut taxes if you need to fund transit and low income housing on top of policing and infrastructure. You could cut the perks, but it wouldn't be close to substantial in savings. Those perks were supposed to cut the risk of bribery and corruption.

It's the same old story time and time again from people who don't have a clue about what it takes to finance and run an urban municipality.

~ A.R., That's My Bush!

Alan Cross and the people who are making decisions at 102.1 the edge are greedy. They are heisting our youth before their eyes and the youth who listen dont even kow it. Since cross's arrival, or lets say within the last 4 years, they play more that twice as many commercials, and they're about as witty as 5 year olds with all the vulgarity of jailbirds....the djs can't even be funny with vulgarity!...fucking losers..the whole fucking station is re-todded!. They look for any way possible to rip off its customers. At edgefest yesterday there was a bout 1 portopottie for 50 people, they were hidden and hard to find as well. The beer section was so small, and you couldnt get in without lining up for 2 hours...a great way to avoid lawsuits!...You couldnt bring in your own umbrella, yet when it rained there was no shelter, you couldnt leave to your car for shelter and re-enter, because there was no re-entry, of course $5 for a small ice cream, the main band was late with no excuse or reason why.....i could go on and on here....Alan Cross, ReTodd, Huble, Booky....You're all fucking greedy, unwitty, and fucking pirates...you are ruining the spirit of this city to fill your own pockets, go fuck your selves, im going to keep traashing your station to everyone I know through this great thing called the internet....assholes!

~ Anonymous, Alan Cross Out As Program Director at Edge 102

Screw Brett. He retired and now he needs to deal with it. You can't go back and forth like this. I hate it when athletes retire and then they really don't retire. So many people with great records come back to tarnish their legacy. Retire with class like Wayne or Ripken. Brett is handling this like a child. Then again most athletes are children.

~ Andrew, Release The Brett

We have the same exact box, which was passed down to me from my cousin, Michael, when my brother and I were young. I now have a daughter, Harriet. We played that music box from the day she was born and it is one of the few things that comfort her, no-fail. We changed the lyrics to accommodate:

My name is Harriet
I've got a chariot
I've got a chariot
Shiny and new
I'm gonna use it
to crush some skulls
That'swhat I'm gonna do

She loves it.

~ Lara, My Name is Michael, I Got a Nickel

Nice post. I chipped in a little for the cause. Make us proud, Mike.

~ Felix, 2008 Terry Fox Run - Donate Now!

Mike: Its not working. Not sure if its my computer or your blog. I knew I should have bought a Mac.

~ Argie, How To Confuse An Idiot

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I'm submitting a song for SLS20 consideration. I'm submitting "2 and 15/16ths" by USS.

I love this song. It's the second single from USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) and I think it's fantastic. It was great live, too.

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We've had a Nintendo Wii since Christmas, and it's still a very popular entertainment device in our household. My son is allowed 30 minutes on the Wii a day, but he can bank hours he doesn't use. The 30 minute cap was implemented because the boy is addicted to Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

Personally, I still enjoy Wii Sports. In particular, I like the baseball. I just don't have the patience for Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

This weekend, we had our first issue with the Wii. The sensor bar that we place on top of our television stopped working. It cost me $20 to replace it and I had to buy a wireless model. We're now back in action.

What I would like for the Wii is a quality hockey game, ideally something from EA. Now that would be cool.

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I'm a pretty ritualistic guy. When I catch The Tragically Hip in concert, I always wear my #5 Bill Barilko jersey. When I catch any other band in concert, I wear my Yield t-shirt purchased at Pearl Jam's 1998 show at Molson Park in Barrie.

That 1998 Pearl Jam show in Barrie remains my favourite concert of all-time. It was a beautiful, clear night and Eddie and the boys were on point. I picked up a medium blue shirt promoting their Yield album and I wore that very same shirt on Saturday, ten years later.

I'm wearing this thing into the ground.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Ryan Hollweg from the New York Rangers for a 2009 fifth-round draft pick. The 25-year-old has five goals and seven assists in 200 career NHL games, all with the Rangers. New York will get Pittsburgh’s pick in next year’s draft, which we acquired in the deal that sent Hal Gill to the Penguins at the deadline last season.

Welcome, Ryan Hollweg, to the worst Maple Leafs team ever. Don't worry, we're okay with a 2008/2009 season of total stinkage. In fact, we're going to have fun with it and give you all funny nicknames.

For you I'm leaning toward Weggy.

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The Green Bay Packers should release Brett Favre. You don't bench Brett Favre for Aaron Rodgers.

When Favre announced his retirement, I wanted one more year. He's started 275 consecutive games and he deserves to start another 16+. Favre don't backup nobody.

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I visited the merchandise tent at Edgefest 2008 and one tee shirt in particular caught my eye. The Flatliners, a punk rock band from Richmond Hill and Brampton that I featured here, sell a shirt modelled after the original Blue Jays logo so near and dear to our heart.

It's awesome. It's the retro Jays logo with the words "The Flatliners" replacing the team name. I don't know if Rogers would have an issue with this, but I certainly hope not. I love it!

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Yesterday I attended my first Edgefest since 2003. I explain my five year absence in this entry. I'm happy to report it was as much fun as I remember it. It was a 12 hour blast.

Before I delve into the details, here's a photoset of pictures I took. Yes, I snapped some sweet pics of the new Batmobile in addition to every band I saw. I even took a little video of Linkin Park rocking out with "A Place for My Head" Now, on with the recap...

Before

Getting there was pretty slick. At Downsview station an Express bus was waiting for us and it dropped us off right in front of the gate. There was virtually no lineup at 12:45. I brought in a 1.5 litre bottle of water, three bagel sandwiches, some orange juice, a rain poncho, my digital camera and Blackberry. Security gave me no hassles whatsoever.

The first band I wanted to see was USS, but we had a little time before they hit the stage. That meant checking out the new Batmobile and free samples of some chocolate milkshake a small army of attractive young nurses were promoting. I doubt they were certified nurses, but I didn't bother asking to see their credentials.

USS - Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker

I had heard two USS tracks on the radio and I loved them both. You really can't miss "Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole" on the radio, it's been on super high rotation for a while now, and for good reason. It's a great track.

For a 1:30 band, USS were great. It was a fun set that showed a great deal of promise. I'm a sucker for rock bands who utilize a turntable. This goes back to my impressionable years in the late 80s when I was digging the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy and learning that a dj could be a band. Terminator X spoke with his hands, and USS kept the tradition alive while maintaining the necessary hooks and melody. These guys have a bright future.

Attack in Black

I try to like these guys, but it's not happening. Something is missing... my ears hear Simple Plan... it's as if they're missing a certain rawness, or dare I say, edge? Their big radio hit, "Young Leaves", was left on the SLS cutting room floor. They're just not my cup of team.

Creature

After Attack in Black, it was lunch time, so we crashed to chow down by the small stage. Creature, a band I had never heard of, featured two female vocalists and a funky Blondie-like sound from the late 70s and early 80s. It was funky fun with plenty of cowbell.

Ashes Divide

Ashes Divide sound like Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and those bands from the 80s. Like Attack in Black, they didn't grab me. They weren't my cup of tea, either.

The Bravery

The Bravery delivered a fantastic set as the sky opened up and I threw on my rain poncho. For most of this set it rained hard and that just seemed to add to the ambiance. I'd say these guys are going to be big, but they've already got the buzz, and they deserve it. I still think "Believe" sounds too much like "Plateau", but that's okay.

Sam Roberts

After The Bravery I joined the lines for the port-o-potty and quickly realized there weren't enough port-o-pottys supplied to meet the demand. I waited in line for over half an hour and missed Sam's first song. He delivered a typical Sam Roberts set which I happen to like, but he does like the lengthy jam songs. That's fine when you're headlining and have 2+ hours, but Sammy was on the clock.

Stone Temple Pilots

Without STP on the bill, I wouldn't have bought a ticket. Core was (and is) one of my favourite albums, and I spun the crap out of Purple, so seeing Scott for a third time sounded awfully appealing. My sked said STP was to hit the stage at 6:55. By 7:30, there was still no sign of them. There was also no 102.1 personality on the stage to introduce the band or explain the delay or reassure us they were coming up soon. Thank goodness I had my Blackberry to visit Scott Weiland's Wikipedia page to ensure he wasn't locked up or deceased.

Once they took the stage, I thought they started off a little shakier than usual, but as the set progressed Scott found his voice. They played just about every single they'd ever released and gave us a full show despite hitting the stage almost an hour late. For "Plush", Scott walked right by us and performed next to the light stand. They closed with "Dead and Bloated". It was a great show.

Linkin Park

I have every Linkin Park album in my collection and I nominate just about every single they release for SLS consideration, but I never really considered myself a big Linkin Park fan. I've always felt a little guilty about enjoying their rock/rap hybrid, but damn they're good live. They started with a soft touch, about three stripped down songs before they started to kick out the jams, but then they never let up. Like STP, it was hit after hit after hit. You have to see these guys live to appreciate how many hits they have in their catalogue.

After

After Linkin Park, my feet were aching, but we had a pretty lengthy walk ahead of us. We decided it would be better to haul our asses to Downsview station rather then wait for one of the Express buses. I can't tell you how good it felt to finally sit down at Downsview station.

It was a full day of great live music. Sure, about 90% of the crowd was under the age of 25, but there were plenty of dudes my age and older enjoying the day. Age truly is a matter of mind. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

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Bobby Murcer was 62. He was a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer.

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Without a doubt, two of the more popular Stone Temple Pilot songs are "Plush" and "Interstate Love Song". They're also two very different styles of song.

Which is your preference, "Plush" or "Interstate Love Song?" You've got all day to respond, I'll be hearing both tunes live tonight.

Plush

Interstate Love Song

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Bomb It: 7 out of 10.

I got to watch the Toronto premiere of Bomb It at the Bloor Cinema tonight, thanks to the cool folks at GelaSkins.

It was a great crown in a great old theatre and that just added to the atmosphere. Who owns public space? What is art? How deep can superficiality go?

This doc takes us from the origins of graffiti art in Philadelphia to New York, several cities in Europe, South Africa, Brazil and Tokyo, Japan. Yes, it does glorify graffiti, and that's not necessarily a good thing, but it makes you think about the questions above. Hell, Bomb It had me picking up some spray paint on the trip home. If you see the tag T.M., that's me.

The director Jon Reiss was there and we peppered him with question after the show. Somebody asked him how he feels about making money off of street art. He laughed and told us he'd love to make money off of street art but the project is currently $300,000 in the hole. There's no money in poetry, but then there's no poetry in money either.

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