We don't know if it's the general absence of Will Ferrell from our movie screens lately or that Jay-Z and Kanye West song that samples from the film but Blades of Glory has been on people's minds lately. It's a silly movie, of course, but if you're miserable on a rainy Sunday afternoon, Ferrell in a sequined leotard might just do the trick.
Now, it seems that said leotard has inspired a new fundraising event in Whistler. It's the event you've likely been waiting for, ever since the ice rink at Whistler Olympic Plaza had been announced. Cue the drum roll: This Friday will see Blades of Glory Whistler: Skate or Die.
This was totally inevitable.
Eight same gender pairs — that is, four pairs of men and four pairs of women — will compete for a shot at absolute glory. Teams will be judged on emotion, artistic interpretation, costumes, skill, "Whistler theme" and judge's discretion by "Whistler's most objective laid up judges."
Each team will have about two minutes to perform.
Unfortunately, no aerial maneuvers are allowed.
Entry for the event is a food donation to the WCSS Food Bank. The show starts at 9 p.m. Friday — be prepared.
Inaugural artists meeting announced
The Whistler Arts Council is inviting all artists, musicians and performers for the inaugural artist meeting at the GLC on Tuesday, April 3.
Facilitated by Chili Thom, the meeting will focus on bringing the artistic community together and brainstorming ideas on how the community can evolve and innovate.
"We are hoping to get as many artists of all disciplines to come out this night to offer up ideas as to how we as an arts council can improve on our current programs and perhaps implement new ones so that the artists in this community have even greater opportunities to further their artistic endeavor," Thom says.
This will be an informal meeting — more of a social gathering, in essence — that Thom hopes will stimulate conversation among artists and help the WAC move forward "collectively as a unified voice for the arts" in Whistler.
The meeting is open to anyone and everyone with an interest. The night will include a quick introduction to WAC and testimonials from established artists, which will lead into a discussion about how the arts council can expand its programming. Foxy Moron will provide music for the evening.
"There are so many artists in this town that are amazing... but we don't know them to see them," Thom says. "This will be a great opportunity for everyone to get together and meet the up and comers as well as the seasoned veterans in the arts community"
If a Tree Falls screening at Millennium Place
The Whistler Arts Council will be showing the Oscar-nominated documentary film If a Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front on Tuesday at Millennium Place.
The films chronicles the life of Daniel McGowan, a radical environmentalist, whose story mirrors the rise and fall of the group he was a part of — the Earth Liberation Front, an aggressive radical environmentalist group that the FBI had called America's "number one domestic terrorism threat."
The ELF had for years been operating in separate cells, launching arsons against dozens of businesses they had accused of destroying the environment, from timber companies to a $12 million ski lodge in Vail.
But in 2005, when the FBI arrested McGowan and 13 others, the government had cracked what may have been the largest ELF cell in the U.S. If a Tree Falls documents the period between 1995 and early 2001, recounting the events that led to McGowan's involvement with the group and exploring his eventual arrest.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $6.
Troutsmen think fashion!
Who ever said dudes know no fashion? The Troutsmen are proving whoever wrong by throwing "Duality" at the GLC on Saturday, a fashion show fundraiser for the Howe Sound Women's Centre.
The night will feature fashion by Locol, art by Taka Sudo and music by DJ Milton. Tickets are $20.
