TRUST. REACH. RESULTS. BRIAN, TIMOTHY, JOAN M cGUIGAN AGENTS IMMOBILIER AGREES / CHARTERED REAL ESTATE AGENTS Now in both languages! Maintenant en www.McGuiganPepin.com deux langue s! See our listings on the back page. November 2006 22,000+ copies – v. 1.6 RESTAURANT REVIEW by S. Woods p. 1 MATERNALLY YOURS by Melanson p. 1 A Ghostly Romp through COOKING by Anthea Dawson p. 6 BOOK REVIEW Montreal’s Spectral Past Dick Francis’ Under Orders p. 4 WINE by Carola Price p. 9 By Michael Gorman MOVIE REVIEW: The Last Kiss by C. McKenzie p. 10 If the cobble-stoned streets and greystone walls of Old Mont- TELEVISION: Dramas pt. 2 real could speak, they would tell ghastly tales of violent crimes, by McKenzie and Price p. 11 harrowing and historic events and restless, roaming spirits. ART by Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand p. 12 Though bricks and mortar make bad witnesses, dead people PRACTICAL POINTS: Bluetooth p. 13 do tell tales – and not just on one of the incarnations of TV’s CSI . Thanks to Les Fantômes de Montréal Ghosts , Montrealers and TOWNSHIPS CALENDAR: Hunting p. 14 visitors alike can get their fair share of scares, along with a TOWNSHIPS REAL ESTATE: p. 15 detailed history lesson, by participating in one of the organiza - tion’s ghost tours of Old Montreal and other haunted neighbour - hoods. Here you’ll learn the stories of people like Mary Gallagher, per - haps one of Montreal’s most infamous specters, lovingly referred to as the Headless Ghost of Griffintown. On a recent Saturday night, about 100 continued on page 8 Restaurant Review Maternally Yours Say ‘Cheese’! Ghosts, Pumpkins and by Stuart Woods Itsy Bitsy Yoga Unlike wine, cigars and chocolate, cheese is an epicurean vice by Annika Melanson that is relatively free of taboo. Whereas most everyone has been With Halloween around the corner, how on the wrong end of a bottle of wine, cheese is rarely unduly about doing lunch at The Haunted House ? indulged, an unassuming component of a healthful diet. The Haunted House is located in an 18th- Unknown to most North American consumers – for whom century Victorian house at 1037 Bleury. cheese is generally orange, bland-tasting continued on page 7 It used to be the Hudson Bay’s fur trad - continued on page 5 2 – Vivva MONTREAL – November 2006 Happenings Vivva Montreal’s guide to what’s on around the island. Cinema programme features 117 documen - Memphis Rhythm Band . The sultry to $74.50. Go to www.billetech.com ឣ CINEMANIA Film Festival screens taries at 5 venues in the downtown and unpredictable songstress teams for more information. November 18. the year’s best francophone cinema, core, as well as forums for film indus - up with an old-timey backing band. At Community Events with English subtitles. Now in its try professionals. Tickets are $8, $6 the Metropolis. Tickets are $27.50. for seniors and students. For more November 23. ឣ Films That Transform . The McGill twelfth year, the festival features the medical faculty’s ongoing series fea - Quebec premiere of Claude Chabrol’s information call 514.844.2172 or go to ឣ Guns ’N’ Roses are back! Headed by www.ridm.qc.ca. November 9 to 19 . controversial frontman Axl Rose, tures To a Safer Place, which docu - A Comedy of Power and a retrospec - ments how a survivor of incest comes tive of Polish director Krzysztof Theatre G ’N’ R will play the Collisée Pepsi in Quebec City to promote their as-yet- to terms with her past. Tickets are Kieslowski’s most revered films. $10, $5 for students and seniors. Advance tickets go on sale November ឣ Montreal playwright and novelist unreleased follow-up to 1993’s The 1 & 2 at the Imperial Theatre. Pick up Michel Tremblay recounts his early Spaghetti Incident? Tickets are $39.50. continued on the next page your free schedule at La Boîte Noire life growing up in the Plateau Mont- retail outlets. Tickets are $9.50, $7 for Royal in the English-language pre - seniors and students. Imperial miere of Assorted Candies . Tickets are The third Theatre, 1430 Bleury St. For more $32.50 to $42, $20 for students. information go to www.cinemani - Centaur Theatre, 453 St. Francois afilmfestival.com or call Xavier. For more information go to Caitlin 514.878.0082. November 2 to 12 . www.centaurtheatre.com or call ឣ Rencontres internationales du docu - 514.288.3161. November 2 to mentaire de Montréal is dedicated to December 3. Donovan promoting the work of international ឣ The Satchmo’ Suite is a musical play and local filmmakers. This year’s about the relationship between a clas - installment by sically trained cellist and Louis Armstrong – his ghost, that is. Tickets bestselling are $35 to $47, $25 for students. Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, author 5170 Cote St. Catherine. For more information go to www.saidyebronf - man.org or call 514.739.7944. Sheila November 19 to December 10 . Music Kindellan- ឣ Sam Roberts Band . Hirsute Montreal ɀ Distributed to 22,000+ houses, apart- rocker plays the Metropolis. Tickets ments and businesses in Westmount and are $24.50. Go to www.ticketpro.com. Sheehan eastern NDG (H3Y, H3Z and H4A). November 2. ɀ Frequency: monthly. Distribution begins ឣ The Rapture . The band that puts ‘hip’ is now in stores on the last Tuesday of the month (for the into ‘hip-shaking’ and that inaugu - next month), except the January edition rated the disco-punk revival plays (second Tuesday in January). “… An Easy Mark is a solid outing for Kindellan-Sheehan, who Club Soda. Tickets are $22.50. so clearly loves the western Montreal neighbourhoods that serve We understand that some people do not want November 2. to get Vivva Montreal in their mailbox. If this ឣ The Tragically Hip . Canadian rock as its backdrop. [And] Caitlin Donovan makes a strong-willed is the case, Canada Post advises that you place royalty plays two dates at the amateur detective, with the help of loyal sidekick a sticker on your mailbox that says, ‘No ad Metropolis to promote their new mail.’ Nous savons que certaines personnes Carmen DiMaggio…” ne veulent pas recevoir Vivva Montreal chez album, World Container . Tickets are – Layla Dabby in the Montreal Gazette (October 14, 2006) eux. Si c’est le cas, veuillez placer une éti - $59.50. November 9 & 10. quette sur votre porte qui lit : « Pas de média- ឣ An evening with Cat Power & the poste. » DON’T MISS HER FIRST TWO THRILLERS Vivva Montreal is published by Sherbrooke- Valois Inc. – Locally owned, operated and Most self-publishers end #7 staffed. up unhappy. Flawed end-product • Montreal 310 Victoria #105 Inadequate editing • Too Gazette Westmount, QC H3Z 2M9 much inventory • Unrealistic fiction bestseller Editor: David Price 514.935.4537 expectations Advertising sales: 514.223.6138 At Price-Patterson, we’ll tell you Fax: 514.935.9241 what you’ll get and you’ll get [email protected] what you pay for. #10 Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. Montreal Price-Patterson Ltd. Vivva Montreal is distributed by: www.pricepatterson.com Gazette 514.935.4537 fiction bestseller Vivva MONTREAL – November 2006 – 3 Editorial Vivva Lives – and Rules! Tremblay’s Bourassa Boo-Boo We were happy to see that our col - 2006, and later, ‘Power of the Spoken leagues at the Gazette took our lead and Book’ – The Gazette, October 7, 2006). By David Price underlining his own importance with this covered Hugh McGuire’s LibriVox And we only scooped them by two and a name change by drawing a link between (www.librivox.org) spoken-word book half months! Vivva Montreal will not often veer into his early career and Bourassa.) project (‘Volunteers around the World Vivva Montreal will redouble its efforts politics, but the recent proposal (deci - There are many new landmarks going Build a Library’ – Vivva Montreal, July to keep its readership ahead of the curve. sion?) to change the names of Park and up every year. These can be used as need - Bleury qualifies as an exception. Montreal ed for appropriate (see below), ‘landmark - is a great city for many reasons, but one less’ politicians. The naming of a new, of them is its heritage. We have great and hitherto nameless reservoir in northern varied architecture, not endless bland Quebec after Bourassa was a much better Things that suburbs. We have neighbourhoods with decision than obliterating two old street quirks and history, not endless streets set names in his favour. - at 90-degree angles with names like ‘ 1st (2) No politician should have anything Vivva Montreal Avenue Southwest’. And the names of the named after them until they have been 5 streets that we do have possess meaning dead for 50 years or more. Let’s face it: and help make the city special . Mayor many politicians are – how shall I put it? recommends you do Tremblay said recently, ‘Nobody today – less than ideal. They are necessary, per - says, “What about Dorchester Blvd.?” haps, but certainly not universally worthy Everyone has accepted René-Lévesque.’ of praise or remembrance. If a politician in November He couldn’t be more wrong, but let’s try has actually done something worthwhile, to focus on the current controversy and, their accomplishments should stand the Get an extra hour of bar time in when the clocks fall back the night even more importantly, the future. test of five decades – and all of the parti - 1 of October 28/9 . (Almost docked a half unit for not being in Here are two principles that should ani - san feelings stirred up during their life - November.) mate our street nomenclature: time will have cooled.