Evans Above

Music channel MuchMoreMusic said they’d be providing 11 hours of live coverage for today’s massive Toronto concert featuring the Rolling Stones.

Obviously the various bands involved must have some bizarre broadcast restrictions because so far MMM has mostly shown videos of the people performing today along with a few snippets of interviews with the 400,000 plus fans attending the show.

Apparently the big two hour simulcast tonight with CBC will just feature a song or two from the various bands and only a handful of tunes from Mick and the boys.

This just in…

Watching the start of Inside Edition…Deborah Norville says, “We have some breaking news…let’s go to the newsroom.” They head off to a story on the rape case against NBA star Kobe Bryant.

Breaking news happens all the time on news networks like CNN. But Inside Edition is a pre-taped, syndicated show that appears several times a day on different channels. So it’s a cheap gimmick to say the news is “breaking” and head to the newsroom like their regular show has been interrupted.

I always thought Nicholson was everywhere.

CNN ran an article on how child murderer Susan Smith is running a personal ad on WriteAPrisoner.com. Is it just me, or do these two sentences from her ad not belong one after the other:

“I consider myself to be sensitive, caring, and kind-hearted.  I´m currently serving a life sentence on the charge of murder.”

In the Cluetrain Manifesto, written by Doc Searls and friends, the authors state that “Markets are conversations” and those conversations are “getting smarter faster than most companies.”

Their belief is that fast communications and tools like email, newsgroups and the Web enable customers to spread the lowdown on companies faster than ever before. Companies have to learn to respond to this change and learn new ways to interact with, and provide support to, their customers. So it’s oddly refreshing in this day and age to see a company run over by the Cluetrain in a very clumsy, stupid and primitive manner.

Hooters Toronto Midtown is just around the corner from me. They’re located in an old diner space that’s seen several restaurants come and go.

Right now, they’re closed. Through the windows you can see all chairs resting on top of the tables. The plastic letter sign, which usually proclaims stuff like “Join us tonite for Game 7! Hot Girls, Cold Beer” instead informs us that they’re “Closed for rennovations [sic]” and will re-open July 4th. Other signs in the windows (on yellow bristol board) have handwritten messages like “Join us for our Hooterific re-opening.”

A letter in the window, on Hooters letterhead, informs their regulars that they’re closed from June 27th to July 4th to perform renovations on the roof and floors.

This restaurant has huge windows. Large enough that guys walking with their girlfriends will suddenly trail off their conversations and pretend that they’re not trying to catch a glimpse of the hot pants-clad waitresses. Windows big enough to see that absolutely no contractors appear to be working on the floors. So why else would they be closed from June 27th to July 4th? There’s a heat wave…good for beer sales…baseball on the big screen TVs…the July 1st Canada Day…4th of July for the visitors…

Do you think it could be the large yellow sign from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario? The one they’ve clumsily tried to distract you from with their yellow bristol board signs? The one that says that the premises have been shut down from June 27th to July 4th as punishment for buying alcohol off-license and allowing illegal alcohol on the premises?

Hooters: Catch the Cluetrain before it runs you over.

Nothing like a good cup of coffee after a hard day of writing. We Canadians tend to flock to the local Tim Horton’s. Tonight I wish I had headed elsewhere.

After downing a large cup of coffee, I discovered a long, dark hair at the bottom of the cup. I’m a blond.

Feeling sick to my stomach, I asked for a refund. The staff begrudgingly gave it to me, but what irked me the most was that nobody apologized.

How hard is to say “I’m sorry”?

I haven’t been enjoying Dennis Miller’s material as much as I used to. This piece hits the nail on the head.

Kangaroo Jack will not win Best Picture. Just a gut feeling.

Our summer starting weekend (Victoria Day) was last week…so I’ll just sit back and think about beaches and BBQ’s. To all of our American friends, have a safe and happy weekend.

Looking out the window at Ground Zero, I see the construction work is continuing at a frenzied pace.

Saw a 9/11 inspired movie at the Festival today called Justice. Quite good. It’s a shame that so many movies that appear at festivals never get seen by a wider audience. This one had good characters and bittersweet humour, but it’ll probably only be seen by folks at festivals. A shame.

Heading down to Battery Park tonight for the Festival’s 100% NYC: A Concert Celebrating the Tribeca Film Festival. Acts include Norah Jones, The Roots and Robbie Williams.