Photo: "Blue" by turnip[turnip], member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

BOOKS AND LIT | An Evening with Stephen King
Stephen King has a dubious reputation for being able to churn out books like so many lead-filled Christmas toys coming off a Chinese conveyer belt. The 62-year old author has written over 50 bestselling books, which is more than one for every year he's been writing. But thankfully for every Roadwork he's also given us a Stand By Me or The Shining. By sheer volume alone few authors have shaped the literary world of the late 20th century more than King, and he comes to Toronto tonight for an event that also features an interview with director David Cronenberg by George Stromboulopoulos.
Canon Theatre, 244 Victoria St., $28 - $33, 8 pm

FOOD | 2009 Gourmet Food and Wine Expo
Starting today, Toronto's top restaurants will turn the Metro Convention Centre into a giant cocktail party. Creations from the city's best chefs will be on offer along with samples of incredible wines. Members of the Independent Wine Education Guild will be giving tips on how to buy and taste wine, and the Tutored Tastings Program gives visitors access to rare vintages. Meanwhile, on the Food Network Stage celebrity chefs will be discussing and preparing some of their top recipes. Tonight's the VIP Preview Evening, for which they've reserved the real cream of the crème brûlée.
Metro Convention Centre, South Building, 255 Front St., $35, Thursday 6 - 10 pm, Friday 2 pm - 10 pm, Saturday 12 pm - 10 pm, Sunday 12 pm - 6 pm

FILM | Eh!U European Film Festival
This not-so-cleverly titled film festival brings the best of European cinema to the land of the hoser for the next two weeks. Now in its fifth year, the festival will have screenings of 26 movies from 23 European countries and every single show is free. Highlights include Austria's The White Ribbon, winner of the Palm D'Or at Cannes this year, and France's A Prophet, which won the Cannes Grand Prix. It all kicks off tonight with a single screening at the Bloor of The Karamazovs, a Czech picture about a troupe of actors recreating Dostoyevsky's famous novel. Runs til December 3.
Tonight: The Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W., Free, 6 pm
Til Dec 3rd: Various locations and times

MAGAZINE | This Magazine: Legalize Everything! Edition Launch
This Magazine is the kind of publication that's getting rarer and rarer these days; a well-informed and relevant publication that actually appears in print. Tonight the 42-year old alternative journal celebrates the launch of its Legalize Everything! edition, in which the likeable lefties behind the operation argue that we should loosen restraints on everything from heroin to music piracy to raw milk. In keeping with the theme there will be door prizes from Come As You Are, HotBox Café, and Zuniour Digital Music Store. An excellent chance to meet some of the most interesting journalists working in the city right now.
The Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Avenue, $5, 7 pm

THEATRE | Necessary Angel's Hamlet
The Necessary Angel Theatre Company is known for taking risks, and this re-imagining of one of history's most famous plays in no exception. They've brought over British provocateur Graham McLaren as director and designer of the project, and the result is a violent, disturbing work that changes from night to night. It's pretty easy to spot the "re-imagined" parts too. I'm pretty sure in the original version Shakespeare didn't include a dude in his briefs performing auto-erotic asphyxiation. Would it have been as popular if he had? We'll never know. Runs til November 29.
Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W., $40, 8 pm

ARTS AND CRAFTS | The Moose Show Festival of Fine Craft & Art
One of a slew of craft fairs hitting the city this pre-holiday season, the Moose Show brings you work from over 50 of the country's most talented artisans. Work in glass, leather, textiles, jewellery, pottery, metal, photography and painting will be on display and admission is free of charge. Shows like this are always a good way to get started early on your Christmas shopping while avoiding the experience of shopping in malls, most of which have already begun blasting mind-numbing Christmas carols through their stuffy, swine flu-infested stores! Runs til Saturday.
CBC Building, 250 Front St. W., Free, Thursday-Friday 10 am - 8 pm, Saturday 10 am - 5 pm

MUSIC | Apostle of Hustle at Lee's Palace
Broken Social Scene core member Andrew Whiteman brings his solo project to Lee's Palace tonight to play tunes from their latest record Eats Darkness, a concept album about conflict. Whiteman is the virtuoso guitarist behind some of BSS's biggest hits, and his Cuban-infused chops are all the more evident when he plays in the stripped-down duo (and sometimes trio) that is A of H. The band's been on tour for the last little while so expect some special guests at this homecoming show. Folky Toronto band Snowblink open.
Lee's Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., $15 advance, $18 at the door, 9 pm

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