Last week we asked someone, anyone, to marry British-Sri Lankan singer M.I.A. so she could stay in the US after her visa expires. And you came through! Ms. Arulpragasam is now engaged to rocker (and, we assume, Jaunted reader) Benjamin Brewer of the rock-reggae band The Exit.
Brewer's dad is the CEO of Warner Music Group, whose rival Universal put out M.I.A.'s last album. Should make for some awkward family dinners!
Catch M.I.A. in concert tonight in Montreal and later this month at Tennessee's Bonnaroo Music Festival. And sorry, scenesters, her Brooklyn show on Friday is already sold out.
Earlier this week we gently suggested that Tourisme Montreal provide an calendar for visitors to the Paris of Canada.
Hey, we here to help you out! If you want to find l'amour (ou le desir) over the border, our weekly picks for dating and mating avec Craigslist are good any day of the week. (Note: We browsed the listings in English because it's Friday... Désolé!)
In rapper M.I.A.'s video for the song "Paper Planes" she claims, "If you catch me at the border, I've got visas in my name." But the artist, real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, just told the press she had to cut her US tour short because her work visa is about to expire.
British by birth, M.I.A. has run afoul of border patrol before because her estranged father has been involved in anti-government groups in Sri Lanka. She's probably headed to Montreal, but Arulpragasam has joked that Kanye West, who's been after her to guest on his records, ought to marry her so she can stay in the States.
Seriously, somebody marry this woman so she can stay in the country! Women of Massachusetts and California? Flavor Flav? The most recent Bachelor?
You may not realize it, but Montreal has been a global cultural mecca for decades. Sure it's frequently visited by University of Vermont students interested in legal boozing, but the city is also home to one of the most progressive electronic music, fashion, design and cuisine scenes in all of North America. Lucky for you, then that the good folks from Tourisme Montreal have made planning a long weekend there even easier with a new website.
From June 26 through July 6, the 29th Annual Montreal Jazz Festival will take over the city and dish out more than 650 concerts, with shows from noon to midnight every day. This year's festival is dedicated to the memory of jazz giant Oscar Peterson who passed away in late 2007.
The stellar jazz on tap this year includes Leonard Cohen (on his first tour in 15 years!), Woody Allen playing clarinet with his New Orleans Jazz Band, Aretha Franklin, Joseph Arthur, JazzLab and awesome saxophonist Joe Lavano. And of course there'll be tons of others rounding out the fest line-up.
Another great perk? Save your money and attend one of the festival's 450 free outdoor performances--to be announced on the website June 2. For festival-affiliated hotel and package deals (some with tickets thrown in) check here. Or see what place HotelChatter is hitting up.Ayez l'amusement!
Montreal isn't exactly known as a center of haute couture, but beginning May 29 all the fashionistas will be packing their all-black ensembles to attend a new retrospective on the career of French designer Yves Saint-Laurent at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Saint-Laurent revolutionized fashion in his Paris studio by making pieces from his runway shows available pret-a-porter, or available for purchase without a custom order. The designer officially retired in 2002 but you can see over 100 of his fully accessorized outfits on display all summer long.
This show--and a copy of Alicia Drake's book The Beautiful Fall, about Saint-Laurent and competitor Karl Lagerfeld--ought to tide you over till Fashion Week.
Early bird tickets for Montreal's Osheaga Music and Arts Festival are already sold out, but there are plenty of regular passes still available for the 2-day indie rock/electro jam August 3-4. More than 40 bands on 4 stages will take over St-Helene Island's Parc Jean-Drapeau, including top billers Jack Johnson, The Killers, Cat Power, Matt Costa and Canadians Broken Social Scene and Chocolat.
Leave your SUV stateside 'cause festival organizers recently announced free public transportation to and around Osheaga thanks to eco-conscious Société de Transport de Montréal. There's a decidedly not-green NASCAR race at Parc Jean-Drapeau on August 2, so this year Osheaga falls on a Sunday and Monday. Better ask for that extra day off now.
Vive la Compagnie in this Canadian city, founded by the Iroquois and later colonized by the French who gave it its European flair. Remember the loonie is powerful these days, so connect wisely, this is not your Daddy's Montreal. If you're looking for love, allons-y:
Bar Le Stud -- This gay bar made headlines when it allegedly refused to serve a walk-in woman a pint. But for the leather guys who frequent it, especially Wednesdays and Saturdays, that just means more room on the "narrow dance floor which encourages friskiness." 1812, rue Sainte-Catherine Est
Thursday's Bar -- Stateside we kill ourselves to get to Fridays; for our neighbors to the north, something a little more gentil is in the picture. What better way than to start a laid-back relationship by taking him or her to Sunday brunch here, featuring a tableside magician? 1449 Crescent Street
Altitude 737 -- Imagine a bar at the top of the Sears Tower. Now add another floor and two enormous terraces for summer. That's what 737, a "quite posh and rather expensive" nightclub with a view, is all about. (At least you'll know whether your crush is afraid of heights.) 1, Place Ville-Marie
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by egw
