The annual Fairy Tales Film Fest is on now. The target audience is the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community, but straight film buffs are welcome, too. 
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The Must Do List
Drums United
Remember those cacophonous days before the drums were united? This is so much easier to dance to.
When That I Was...
Christopher Hunt stars as a member of Shakespeare's troupe who recalls his olde glorye days.
Ugly Duckling and Tortoise and the Hare
Two classic tales are brought to life by the magic of black light.
Pecha Kucha Volume 12
Tonight's theme is "eureka." All epiphanies are welcome, but please do not sprint down the street in your birthday suit.
In the Viewing Room—Martin Bennett
Despite their name, Martin Bennett's Static Image Paintings move on from TrepanierBaer after today.
Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers' Market
The beer garden might be the only thing in bloom on Day 1 of this inner-city gem, but we're okay with that.
Revenge of the Bat
The Cowtown Opera Company present Die Fledermaus in English. To the Batmobile! And then to Heritage Park!
Gumballs are a severely underused medium in the art world. Hoping to correct that, the Museum of Contemporary Art Calgary is bringing in Franz Spohn to help lead the assembly of a gumball portrait of Mayor Nenshi and the Calgary Tower for the Calgary International Children’s Fest.
Saturday, May 26. At 800 Macleod Tr. S.E. Noon. mocacalgary.org.
Join us for a live web chat about cycling chic, bicycle commuting and anything two-wheeled in Calgary.
Tom Babin, digitial editor at the Herald (and the man behind the Pedal Blog) will host the event, which begins at noon on Friday, May 25.
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: I love Rufus Wainwright and Hawksley Workman. But Frank Sinatra is my favourite. I love emotion and, for me, Frank’s just full of it. Emotion, I mean. I have Sirius radio just so I can listen to Siriusly Sinatra.
FIRST GIG: I sang “Puff, the Magic Dragon” for my parents at a cabin in Fairmont when I was three—my dad was so moved by my passion for music, he started bawling. I surprised him by choosing the instrumental version of that song for the father-daughter dance at my wedding. more
Unless you’ve been living in a coral-pink cave for the past five months (how passé), you’ve likely heard that the influential Pantone Institute’s 2012 Color of the Year is a reddish-orange called “Tangerine Tango” (last year’s feted hue was the aforementioned coral-pink, called “Pretty in Honeysuckle”). About as subtle as Nicki Minaj, the sassy citrus hue, also known as Pantone No. 17-1463, will no doubt continue to dominate runways, cosmetic counters and au courant living rooms until the New Jersey-based colour authorities tell us what to like next year. But here’s the real news, as reported by National Public Radio a couple of weeks ago: The annual Pantone colour is selected by 10 anonymous experts from various fields of manufacturing who gather in Europe twice a year—in a white room. more
When it comes to Stampede style, there are two distinct camps: those who embrace the rodeo look (read: 10 days of killer outfits planned weeks in advance) and those who are slightly more reluctant to don a Stetson. Regardless of where you fall on the western-wear love spectrum, you will be able to appreciate the items the Glenbow Museum has created to commemorate the Stampede’s 100th year and its Charlie Russell and the First Calgary Stampede exhibition, opening June 2nd. From the flash of the Buffalo Skull Lapel Pin ($140) to the authenticity of the Guy Weadick and Flores LaDue belt-buckle replicas ($125) and the understated charm of the one-of-a-kind bandanas by local artist Anne Kirsten ($75), you’ll be looking fresh while tipping your brim to the spirit of the Old West. At The Glenbow Museum, 130 9th Ave. S.E. 403-268-4100, glenbow.org.
For those of us whose outdoor living spaces consist of a postage- stamp-size balcony or tiny deck off the kitchen, outdoor patio sets—the ones with corner sectionals large enough for overnight guests to sleep al fresco and dining space for eight—are just not an option. This doesn’t mean a folding chair and a portable hibachi are your only choices. Here are a few ideas for imparting a little piece of style on your little piece of heaven—plus bug busters, boots for getting muddy in and branding irons for all your barbecue creations. more
Join Early Music Voices and VoiceScapes in an exploration of the women of medieval nunneries through their writing, life stories and music. Also, there will likely be some sass if the concert’s title (Listen, Daughter: Music of medieval nunneries) is any indication.
Saturday, May 26. At Christ Church Elbow Park, 3602 8th St. S.W. $20 – $25. earlymusicvoices.ca.
Button, button, who’s got the button?” may seem like a peculiar premise to base an event on, but that is sure to be the question on everyone’s mind at this Saturday’s Hot One Inch Action. Making its way to Calgary for the first time, Hot One Inch is a one-night-only art exhibition conceived in Vancouver in 2004 by Jim Hoehnle and Chris Bentzen. This isn’t your typical art show, however. Instead of standing around, quietly taking in the canvases on the walls and glowering at the large-scale price tags, you can score a sachet of five buttons printed with works selected from 50 talented local artists for five dollars and that’s when the fun really begins. more
The cycle-chic movement sprang from a single photograph taken by a Calgarian in Copenhagen. It’s now a worldwide phenomenon, with cyclists choosing style over speed. They’re contributing to a more sustainable city and looking good, sans helmets.
The mystery grabs you first. Who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Where is this? Then, the incongruity seeps in, and you start to question everything else. more
In sticking by his old TV set, a couch potato finds that he has fallen behind the time-shifting times.
Recently, a friend of mine was talking about a great show—a three-part British series called Black Mirror. It’s been described as a cross between Twilight Zone and Tales of the Unexpected. Unfortunately, I have to take his word for it at this point—I can’t see Black Mirror myself. I still watch TV on TV. more
It seems like a bad idea: take a man, dress him in a kilt and send him up a 24-foot extension ladder on a breezy day. Of course, there is another possibility: rather than being an ill-advised approach to cleaning windows, this might be a clever marketing ploy.
In fact, it is the latter. Among other things, Men in Kilts, a window-washing company, is further proof that a gimmick is a powerful thing. (Those who would dispute this fact should recall that old saying: people who live in glass houses should not throw Pet Rocks.) “It’s a purple cow,” says Chris Carrier. “You see it once and you never forget it.” more
It may be presented by StoryBook Theatre, but Avenue Q is not bedtime material. The puppet-musical spoof of Sesame Street, which won the Tony for best musical in 2004, is raunchy at times, so Storybook recommends it for audiences over the age of 14.
Opening Friday, May 25. At The Easterbrook Theatre, 2633 Hochwald Ave. S.W. $25. storybooktheatre.org.
There’s a giant hole in Calgary’s festival calendar when it comes to jazz programming. With the disappearance of the Calgary Jazz Festival two years ago, hep jazz cats have no annual place to gather. Here’s where the National Music Centre (the rebranded Cantos Music Foundation) steps in with the National Jazz Summit, but, as the NMC’s director of programs, Ian Menzies, tells Jon Roe, it’s not quite an international jazz festival. more
It’s last call for the Candahar at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery. The installation is a detailed recreation of a Belfast public house that includes fraternal bartenders Chris and Conor Roddy, who made the trip across the ocean for the display by Theo Sims. So order a pint while you can—the Candahar shutters on Saturday.
Until Saturday, may 26 at Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Alberta College of Art + Design
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