FEB 25 Launch Party for newest SWAY magazine issue - entertainment, cocktails and lite bites

UPDATE: NEW PRESS RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Sway Magazine Black History Month Blowout Party in Liberty Village

February 25th Sway magazine has inspired some of Canada’s hottest performers to show their support for Haiti. Set in a brand new Liberty Village entertainment studio, the line-up includes iconic crooner Dan Hill accompanied by Joe Sealy, top new artist Kim Davis, Juno Award-winner Sean Jones, and popular comedian Jay Martin, among many many others.
Working with the Consulate General of Haiti in Toronto, partial proceeds from the night will create a scholarship fund for Haitian refugees.
The biggest and brightest of local celebrities are set to attend, among which are many of the artists, performers and media personalities featured in past pages of Sway -- including Divine Brown. Tickets are $20, which includes a one-year subscription to Sway.

Date: Thursday, February 25th
Time: Doors open 6pm
Location: WIDEawake Liberty Studios
171 East Liberty Street, Unit 310 (3rd floor)

Please RSVP to rsvp@kimgraham.ca. For more information please contact publicist.



WANT TO ATTEND/COVER? PLEASE LET US KNOW - rsvp@kimgraham.com or stephen@stephenweir.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SWAY MAGAZINE LAUNCH IS A HUGE PARTY AND A BENEFIT FOR HAITI
February 21, 2010, Toronto ON… Sway magazine hosts the blow-out event of the season February 25th at WIDEawake Entertainment Group’s brand new Liberty Village studio. Co-founded by industry icon Maurice Jones Jr., this state-of-the-art entertainment facility is revving up the hip factor in Liberty Village.
Sway Magazine has inspired some of Canada’s hottest performers to show their support for Haiti, with a line-up that includes iconic crooner Dan Hill accompanied by Joe Sealy, Canada’s number one unsigned artist Kim Davis, Juno Award-winner Sean Jones, and popular comedian Jay Martin. Other performers include former Sugar Jones member Maiko Watson, Drake collaborator Aion Clarke, Keysha Fanfair and Saidah Baba Talibah. Among the biggest and brightest of industry VIP’s set to attend are many of the artists, athletes and celebrities featured in past pages of Sway -- including Divine Brown.
As Canada’s national Black lifestyle magazine, Sway is often compared to established Black culture magazines in the United States. Sway is a glossy quarterly publication about the successes, accomplishments and power of Canada’s Black communities. Despite challenging times in the industry, Sway is on the move with revenue growth up 50% year over year, and a recent expansion across the country into all Chapters and Indigo locations.
Sway kicks off 2010 by bringing together this star power in an exciting new venue to benefit Haitian refugees. Working with the Consulate General of Haiti in Toronto, partial proceeds from the night will help to establish a scholarship fund for Haitian refugees.
“What happened in Haiti is a tragedy that we will not soon forget, but I am so thrilled that Sway can, in some small way, do its part to help out. And what better way for a magazine about inspiration and success to assist than by creating a scholarship fund for Haitian refugees,” says Sway Publisher and Editorial Director Alan A. Vernon.
Consul General of Haiti Dr. Pierre, who will also be attending to support this endeavour, agrees: “A scholarship fund will be very important for encouraging students who now face financial difficulties to still achieve their dreams and fulfill their goals.”
Doors open at 6:00pm for this mélange of intimate performances, custom cocktails by Appleton Rum and Steam Whistle Brewery, and exotic-inspired cuisine from neighboring Liberty Noodle and Black community favourite Harlem Underground. Tickets are $20, which includes a one-year subscription to Sway.
For more information please contact publicist. Please RSVP to rsvp@kimgraham.ca.

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Media Contact:
KG&A Kim Graham & Associates
Trisha Lepper
416 537 5645
trisha@kimgraham.ca

Issued by:
Stephen Weir
stephen@stephenweir.com

March Break Fun at the McMichael

March Break Fun at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg.
February 22, 2010 Kleinburg, ON —It's the week children look forward to the most each school year and the one that sometimes has parents struggling to find activities to entertain their children. This spring the McMichael Canadian Art Collection will be offering special March Break programming for children from March 14 to March 19—including a weeklong art camp!
The March Break festivities begin on March 14 with special Family Sunday March Break Celebrations programming, which runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is free with general admission to the gallery. Families can tour the Woodland School exhibition, touch artifacts, and listen to Anishnabe (Woodland) legends in the Discovery Space storytelling room. Children will learn about contemporary art of the First Nations, and participate in a special artist-led workshop featuring visiting students from the Ontario College of Art and Design, Aboriginal Visual Culture Program.
For those parents looking to enroll their children in an invigorating and fun art camp, from March 15 to 19, the McMichael is offering a full day March Break Art Camp, for 6 to 12 year olds, running from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with extended care until 5:00 p.m. Students will enjoy drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking in a nurturing teaching environment led by instructors and assistants who are experienced artists and educators. The cost for this program is $250 for the general public and $225 for McMichael members.
For those parents looking for fun activities to do with their children, Bonus March Break Days programming will run daily from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from March 16 to 18. Visitors will be able to make art, take a family tour of the Collection, play in the Discovery Space, and meet a special guest artist. On St Patrick’s Day, March 17, visitors will enjoy live Irish Music and Irish Fairy tales, and young artists will learn how to make Celtic Art. All Bonus March Break Days activities are free with general admission to the gallery.
About the Gallery
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations, and Inuit artists.
The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery visit www.mcmichael.com.
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Issued By:
Stephen Weir
Publicist
Stephenweir@mcmichael.com
905-893-1121 ext 2529
416-489-5868
416-801-3101 cell

Watch BRAVO! Arts & Minds Special – The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction broadcast Saturday to Wednesday

Watch BRAVO! Arts & Minds Special – The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction broadcast Saturday to Wednesday
Coverage can be seen nationally Saturday, Feb. 20, Sunday, Feb. 21, Tuesday, Feb. 23 & Wednesday, Feb. 24
TORONTO, Feb. 19 - The fascinating story of this year's Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is the subject for this week’s Arts & Minds show. The show will air nationally on BRAVO! at various times a between this Saturday and next Wednesday. Broadcast journalist conducts an emotional interview with Ian Brown, the winner of this year’s Taylor Prize.
Devoted to capturing the suspense and excitement of the prestigious national book prize this special edition of Bravo's Arts & Minds will air Saturday, Feb. 20th, Sunday, Feb. 21st as well as on Tuesday, Feb. 23rd and Wednesday, Feb. 24th.
Viewers will see an interview between Todd and Brown that Bravo! Director Bernard Gauthier describes as “ an interview that is beyond riveting, the likes that arts TV has never seen!” Ian Brown, a columnist for the Globe and Mail wrote a book about Walker, his disabled son.
The show also highlights of the 2010 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction Author Luncheon, which capture the excitement and drama of the event, which was held in Toronto on February 8th. The special also includes comments and reaction from prize founder Noreen Taylor.
The Winner of the 2010 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is Ian Brown (Toronto) for his book The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search For His Disabled Son, published by Random House Canada. The $25,000 prize was awarded Monday, February 8, 2010 at Toronto's Le Meridien King Edward Hotel. The remaining CTP finalists - John English, Daniel Poliquin, and Kenneth Whyte - each received $2,000.
Arts & Minds airs on Saturday February 20th at 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m; Sunday at 7:00 p.m; Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m and Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (All are Eastern Standard Times).
The prestigious Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing. Since its inception the prize has fostered a growing interest in non-fiction, engaged Canadians in the genre of literary non-fiction, and boosted sales of the winning authors' books.
Founded in commemoration of the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada's foremost essayists and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community, the prize is awarded annually to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception.
The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation with the generous support of its partners: Ben McNally Books, Bravo! and Book Television, Canada Newswire (CNW), Event Source, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Quill & Quire, The Globe and Mail, and Windfields Farm.
Check www.bravo.ca for the complete listings. This program will also be available online at: www.bravo.ca/events/CharlesTaylorPrize/ To download high-resolution images of the Charles Taylor Prize winner and finalists, and their short listed Book covers please go to: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2010/photogallery_10.asp For more information please visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca, http://www.twitter.com/taylorprize
For further information: Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates, Stephen Weir: (416) 489-5868, cell: (416) 801-3101, sweir5492@rogers.com; Linda Crane: (905) 257-6033, cell: (416) 727-0112, cranepr@cogeco.ca

Caribana Festival performers extend Olympic stay to do it again on Canada AM tomorrow

Performers wrap up their Olympic show on Tuesday afternoon - but more to come tomorrow with CTV's Canada AM.

Eleven performers from Toronto appeared on the Ontario Pavillion stage for the last time today at the Olympics in Vancouver. However, the show is not over just yet! CTV's Canada AM breakfast show has asked the performers to return to the Pavillion on Wednesday February 17th to do it one more time for their television viewers. The Canada AM segment begins tomorrow at 8.30 Pacific Time.
Audiences in Vancouver are experiencing some of the exciting entertainment that make the 3-week Scotiabank Festival Canada’s biggest tourist draw -- next to the Olympics. This year Scotiabank kicks off Tuesday July 13th at the Yonge Dundas Square. The parade will be held along Toronto’s waterfront on July 31st. The festival ends on Sunday August 1st with the DeScotiabank Caribana Lime at Ontario Place.
Even after the Scotiabank Caribana performers have left Vancouver, visitors to the Olympics will see breathtaking images from the annual Toronto festival. Last summer The Canadian Tourism Commission, in association with the Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, sent a film crew right onto the Scotiabank Caribana parade route and shot high definition footage to be used in a video postcard about the Festival.
The Caribana video postcard (one of two dozen made for the Olympics) has been reproduced into four lengths (2.5 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds), dubbed into several languages, and provided to over 200 official Olympic Games’ broadcasters around the world to be seem by a potential cumulative audience of over 10 billion people.
The Scotiabank Caribana Festival is an exciting three-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, revelry as well as visual and performing arts. Now in its 43rd year, it has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. As Scotiabank Caribana is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of Toronto and its environs will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Chutney, and Steel Pan music. The Festival Management Committee oversees the running of North America’s largest outdoor festival. www.caribanafestival.com
VANCOUVER TEAM
Ontario Pavilion “CARIBANA”
1. Denise Hererra-Jackson ---- Festival Director
2. Roborta Atkinson ---- Manager
3. Martin Scott-Pascall ---- Artistic Director/Choreographer
4. Tara Eulith Woods ---- Calypsonian
5. Hameed Shaqq ---- Pannist
6. Denise Chang Kit ---- Masquerader/Dancer
7. Lysha DeFreitas ---- Masquerader/Dancer
8. Danielle Edwards ---- Masquerader/Dancer
9. Danielle Ramjattan ---- Masquerader/Dancer
10. Nicki Ramjass ---- Masquerader/Dancer
11. Catrina Ziesman ---- Masquerader/Dancer
12. Sakita Boodhoo ---- Masquerader/Dancer
13. Christiane Tetreault ---- Masquerader/Dancer
Cutline: Derrick Chan www.xpats.ca took the above photographs today at the Ontario Pavillion. Top photo - pannist Hameed Shaqq, second top photo shows the last dance of the performance. The second from bottom photograph shows the 11 performers and Festival director Denise Hererra-Jackson (sitting at left) and show manager Roborta Atkinson (sitting at right) out front of the Pavillion. The last photograph is again showing the last performance in progress.

Olympic Pictures of Caribana performers in Vancouver - on stage

CARIBANA FESTIVAL TEACHES OLYMPIC AUDIENCE HOW TO HAVE "MAS" APPEAL

Two pictures from today's performance by Toronto Caribana Festival performers are included with this e-mail. Cutline information:
* from the stage: Left to right, Danielle Ramjattan, Nicki Ramjass and Martin Scott-Pascall show Olympic goers how to play Mas! Scott-Pascall is also the Artist Director on the tour.
* Macomere Fifi (Eulith Woods) one of North America's best Calypsonian singer performs on stage at the Ontario Pavillion inside the Olympic grounds in Vancouver
An all-star cast of Mas Players, Calypso singers and Pan Artistes performed the first of three performancess at the Ontario Pavilion within the Olympic site in Vancouver.
The Ontario Government has built a 13,000 sq ft Pavilion at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver to showcase the province’s leading technological, cultural and culinary advancements. As the largest summer festival in the province and the cultural jewel of the country, Scotiabank Caribana was approached to produce a 10 min video and to stage three - one hour performances, one each on February 14th, 15th and 16th.
The intent of the festival's participation is to help promote the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario as a premier tourist destination to visit and do business. It will take the form of a 13-member team showcasing the various carnival arts; Mas’, Calypso and Steel pan.
The Ontario Pavilion is setting a new standard in creativity and innovation. It offers visitors a unique, one-of-a-kind, inspirational experience that will live on in their memories for years to come and reinforce Ontario’s Olympic brand message — “There’s No Place Like This…” An initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, the Pavilion will feature the best Ontario has to offer from a tourism perspective, featuring nightly concerts, culinary experiences, film, technology, the arts and a jaw dropping Scotiabank Caribana performance!
Audiences in Vancouver are experiencing some of the exciting entertainment that make the 3-week Scotiabank Festival Canada’s biggest tourist draw -- next to the Olympics. This year Scotiabank kicks off Tuesday July 13th at the Yonge Dundas Square. The parade will be held along Toronto’s waterfront on July 31st. The festival ends on Sunday August 1st with the DeScotiabank Caribana Lime at Ontario Place.
Even after the Scotiabank Caribana performers have left Vancouver, visitors to the Olympics will see breathtaking images from the annual Toronto festival. Last summer The Canadian Tourism Commission, in association with the Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, sent a film crew right onto the Scotiabank Caribana parade route and shot high definition footage to be used in a video postcard about the Festival.
The Caribana video postcard (one of two dozen made for the Olympics) has been reproduced into four lengths (2.5 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds), dubbed into several languages, and provided to over 200 official Olympic Games’ broadcasters around the world to be seem by a potential cumulative audience of over 10 billion people.
The Scotiabank Caribana Festival is an exciting two-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, revelry as well as visual and performing arts. Now in its 43rd year, it has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. As Scotiabank Caribana is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of Toronto and its environs will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Chutney, and Steel Pan music. The Festival Management Committee oversees the running of North America’s largest outdoor festival. www.caribanafestival.com
VANCOUVER TEAM
Ontario Pavilion “CARIBANA”
1. Denise Hererra-Jackson ---- Festival Director
2. Roborta Atkinson ---- Manager
3. Martin Scott-Pascall ---- Artistic Director/Choreographer
4. Tara Eulith Woods ---- Calypsonian
5. Hameed Shaqq ---- Pannist
6. Denise Chang Kit ---- Masquerader/Dancer
7. Lysha DeFreitas ---- Masquerader/Dancer
8. Danielle Edwards ---- Masquerader/Dancer
9. Danielle Ramjattan ---- Masquerader/Dancer
10. Nicki Ramjass ---- Masquerader/Dancer
11. Catrina Ziesman ---- Masquerader/Dancer
12. Sakita Boodhoo ---- Masquerader/Dancer
13. Christiane Tetreault ---- Masquerader/Dancer
Photos by Roberta Atkinson

Arts & Minds feature the Charles Taylor Prize Award luncheon

The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

Watch BRAVO! Arts & Minds for reaction and highlights from the 2010 Charles Taylor Prize winner announcement

Coverage can be seen nationally

Saturday, Feb. 13, Sunday, Feb. 14, Tuesday, Feb. 16 & Wednesday, Feb. 17

TORONTO, Feb. 12 /CNW/ - The announcement of the winner of this year's Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction will be the lead item on Bravo's Arts & Minds in coming days. The show will air nationally on BRAVO! at various times a between this Saturday and next Wednesday. Devoted to capturing the suspense and excitement of this national book prize this special edition of Bravo's Arts & Minds will air Saturday, Feb. 13th, Sunday, Feb. 14th as well as on Tuesday, Feb. 16th and Wednesday, Feb. 17th.
Viewers will see highlights of the 2010 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction Author Luncheon, which capture the excitement and drama of the event which was held in Toronto on February 8th. The special also includes reaction from prize founder Noreen Taylor and members of the jury.
The Winner of the 2010 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is Ian Brown (Toronto) for his book The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search For His Disabled Son, published by Random House Canada. The $25,000 prize was awarded Monday, February 8, 2010 at Toronto's Le Meridien King Edward Hotel. The remaining CTP finalists - John English, Daniel Poliquin, and Kenneth Whyte - each received $2,000.
Arts & Minds airs on Saturday February 13th at 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m; Sunday at 7:00 p.m; Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m and Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (All are Eastern Standard Times).
The prestigious Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing. Since its inception the prize has fostered a growing interest in non-fiction, engaged Canadians in the genre of literary non-fiction, and boosted sales of the winning authors' books.
Founded in commemoration of the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada's foremost essayists and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community, the prize is awarded annually to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception.
The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation with the generous support of its partners: Ben McNally Books, Bravo! and Book Television, Canada Newswire (CNW), Event Source, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Quill & Quire, The Globe and Mail, and Windfields Farm.
Check www.bravo.ca for the complete listings. This program will also be available online at at: www.bravo.ca/events/CharlesTaylorPrize/ To download high-resolution images of the Charles Taylor Prize winner and finalists, and their shortlisted Book covers please go to: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2010/photogallery_10.asp For more information please visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca, http://www.twitter.com/taylorprize
For further information: Media contact: Stephen Weir & Associates, Stephen Weir: (416) 489-5868, cell: (416) 801-3101, sweir5492@rogers.com; Linda Crane: (905) 257-6033, cell: (416) 727-0112, cranepr@cogeco.ca

Olympic Games Will Heat Up Once Scotiabank Caribana Arrives in Vancouver

Thanks to Scotiabank Caribana
2010 Winter Games are about to feel the Vibe!

As if it wasn't hot enough at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games! Today Scotiabank Caribana announced that an all-star cast of Mas Players and world renowned Calypsonian and Pannist will be performing for 3 days at Ontario House, located at 50 Pacific Boulevard at the Concord Place Community Celebration Zone.
Ontario House will showcase the province's tourism, technological, cultural and culinary success stories. As the largest summer festival in the province and the cultural jewel of the country, Scotiabank Caribana will be featured in multimedia presentations at Ontario House, as well as three - one hour performances, one each on February 14th, 15th and
16th.
"We expect over 90,000 people to experience a little bit of Scotiabank Caribana at Ontario House," explained Festival CEO Joe Halstead. " Our performers are energized and Vancouver is really going to feel our Vibe!!!"
The intent of Scotiabank Caribana's participation is to help promote the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario as a premier tourist destination to visit and do business. It will take the form of a 13-member team showcasing the various carnival arts; Mas', Calypso and Steel pan.
Located in between BC Place Stadium and Sochi House (Science World), Ontario House offers visitors a unique, one-of-a-kind, experience that will live on in their memories for years to come and reinforce Ontario's tourism brand message - "There's No Place Like This..." Ontario House will feature the best Ontario has to offer from a tourism perspective, featuring nightly concerts, culinary experiences, film, technology, the arts and a jaw dropping Scotiabank Caribana performance!
Audiences in Vancouver will get to experience some of the exciting entertainment that makes the 2-week Scotiabank Caribana Festival, Canada's biggest tourist draw -- next to the 2010 Winter Games. This year Scotiabank Caribana is set to kick off Tuesday July 13th at the Yonge Dundas Square. The parade will be held along Toronto's waterfront on July 31st. The festival ends on Sunday August 1st with the DeScotiabank Caribana Lime at Ontario Place.
Even after the Scotiabank Caribana performers have left Vancouver, visitors to the Olympics will see breathtaking images from the annual Toronto festival. Last summer the Canadian Tourism Commission, in association with the Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, sent a film crew right onto the Scotiabank Caribana parade route and shot high definition footage to be used in a video postcard about the Festival.
The Caribana video postcard (one of two dozen made for the Olympics) has been reproduced into four lengths (2.5 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds), dubbed into several languages, and provided to over 200 official (add - 2010) Olympic Games' broadcasters around the world to be seem by a potential cumulative audience of over 10 billion people.
The Scotiabank Caribana Festival is an exciting two-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, revelry as well as visual and performing arts.
Now in its 43rd year, it has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. As Scotiabank Caribana is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of Toronto and its environs will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Chutney, and Steel
Pan music. The Festival Management Committee oversees the running of North America's largest outdoor festival. www.caribanafestival.com

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Media Contacts:

Stephen Weir
Stephen Weir & Associates
Tel: 416-801-3101 Fax: 416- 488-6518
Email: stephen@stephenweir.com

Time willing Scotiabank Caribana will perform for media in Vancouver. To contact the performers in Vancouver please contact:

Roborta Atkinson | Tour Manager
Festival Management Committee | Scotiabank Caribana
cell: 416-728-8097