Photo: "Distillery Creature" by christopher.woo, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

FESTIVAL | Cavalcade of Lights
From now until New Year's the Cavalcade of Lights festival will be throwing weekly Saturday parties in the heart of the city. The festival's family-friendly entertainment including skating parties, fireworks and concerts has become an annual tradition for many Torontonians, and things kick off Saturday night with the lighting of the city's official Christmas tree followed by performances by Steven Page and Fritz Helder and the Phantoms.
Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W., Free, 7 pm

MUSIC | George Monbiot on the Copenhagen Summit
Green guru George Monbiot comes the University of Toronto Saturday afternoon to press the case for strong action against global climate change. Monbiot is one of the most impassioned voices in the debate over global warming and has gone as far as to declare wasteful trans-Atlantic flights as being morally equivalent to child abuse. The Guardian columnist will be joined by Richard Littlemore, co-author of the book Climate Cover Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming.
J.R. MacLeod Auditorium, 1 King's College Circle, Suggested $10-$25, 2pm

BURLESQUE | Nerd Girl Pinups
You know that bookish girl in your history class who you never thought was hot until one day she took off her glasses? Well just imagine how sexy she'd be if she took off just about everything else. That's the agreeable idea behind this event in which a dozen Nerd Girls including Delirium Tremens and Meryle Trouble perform scandalous burlesque numbers. The Nerdgasm comedy group will provide the geeky guffaws.
Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., $12 advance, $15 door, 9pm

THEATRE | Behind the Veil
This choreographed multimedia performance examines the tension between women of tradition and women who seek freedom. Conceived and directed by Evolution Dance Theatre's Iranian-born Armineh Keshishian, the performance crosses time periods and styles, combining jazz, belly-dancing and modern dance to probe the challenges faced by women now and throughout history. Runs til Sunday.
Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W., $25-$35, Saturday 8pm, Sunday 2pm

MUSIC | Beth in Battle Mode at the Silver Dollar
Electronic indie pop band Beth In Battle Mode headlines a synth-heavy night of music at one of Toronto's trashiest bars Saturday night. The legendary Silver Dollar plays host to BIBM along with the theatrical foursome Girl and the Machine and keyboard specialists Digits, the latter fronted by former Ghost is Dancing guitarist Alt Altman. All three bands share a penchant for the addictive electronic melody, making for plenty of digitally induced fun.
Silver Dollar, 486 Spadina Ave., $5, 9:30 pm

PERFORMANCE | Book Launch: Two Artists, Two Books
Cheryl Sourkes's book Tons of Webcammer Babes examines the 21st century phenomenon of webcam exhibitionism through sixteen of Sourkes's vivid images accompanied by psychologically probing text by Sharon Kivland. Jon Davies's Trash: A Queer Film Classic scrutinizes Andy Warhol's 1970 film from a Queer Studies perspective. Both books are feted with the authors in attendance tonight at Art Metropole.
Art Metropole, 788 King St. West, 1pm - 3pm

Sunday November 29:

SALE | The Flipside! Record Sale
Few species of collectors are more fanatical than those who crave vinyl, so this sale should be a delight for the city's record afficianados and djs. Over ten thousand LPs and 45s will be on sale in diverse genres ranging from disco to afrobeat to drum and bass. Vendors are coming from far and wide to share their collections of classic or hard-to-find merchandise, making this a perfect chance to recreate all your favourite scenes from High Fidelity.
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St. W., $4 entry, 10am - 4pm

COMEDY | As It Hasn't Happened
This new panel show from Bad Dog Theatre pits cast members against each other in a contest to win the audience's affection. Using a talk show format presenters Lindsay Ellis and Shaista Latif will ponder such questions as "Does Atlantis exist?" and "If Keannu Reeves and Celine Dion had a baby, what would they name it?" Featuring the talents of Second City Conservatory's Chris New and YTV's Hannah Hogan.
Bad Dog Theatre, 138 Danforth Ave., $5, 8 pm

FAMILY | Bunch Family Karaoke
Bunch Magazine is the kind of hip publication that posts videos of Where the Wild Things Are dance parties and home made kid zombie movies on its website. They're known for throwing parties that are fun for the whole fashionable family, and this weekend they enhance that concept with a karaoke jam. Expect some local musicians and their kids to show up and spend an enjoyable afternoon together belting out tunes.
Revival, 783 College St., $10 adult, $8 child advance, $12 door, 12pm - 3pm

MUSIC | Bring it To the Cipher + Kre3p Show Movie Night
This hip-hop event seeks to revive the art of freestyle rap in a group setting, otherwise known as the cipher. Spontaneous creativity and showmanship are the order of the day in this rare forum for Toronto's budding emcees. Graffiti artists, djs and all other hip hop fans are also encouraged to come out. The cipher will be followed by the anniversary edition of the Kre3p Show movie night which specializes in showcasing cinematic hip hop culture.
Acacia Centre, 186 Spadina Ave., Free, 7:30 pm

Ongoing events:

PHOTOGRAPHY | Photorama 2009
For 23 years the Photorama event has showcased the work of some of this country's best photographers. The exhibition and sale is the annual fundraising event for Gallery TPW and this year features a new photograph by the amazing Edward Burtynsky, whose pictures of industrial landscapes have garnered him international acclaim. The four day event began on Thursday and continues this weekend. Admission is free but of course you'll have to shell out if you want to take one of the works home. The gallery is hoping to raise $30,000 for the expansion of its operations and community-building events.
Gallery TPW, 56 Ossington Ave., Free, Saturday and Sunday 12 pm - 5 pm

FASHION | American Apparel Rummage Sale
The clothing label that built an empire out of blank t-shirts has brought its rummage sale concept to Toronto this weekend. Apparently the AA stores that are sprouting up across the city just can't contain all their merchandise, and so since Friday a warehouse on King St. Has been filled to the rafters with deals. With savings up to 85% and some pieces selling for as low as two bucks, the bargain hunting might get competitive. Be prepared to elbow hipsters with ridiculous haircuts in the face. Runs til Sunday.
590 King St. W., Friday and Saturday 10 am - 9 pm, Sunday 10 am - 7 pm

FILM | Eh!U European Film Festival
This not-so-cleverly titled film festival that brings the best of European cinema to Toronto breaches the halfway point of its schedule this weekend. Now in its fifth year, the festival is screening 26 movies from 23 European countries and every single show is free. This weekend's highlights include Sweden's award-winning The King of Ping Pong which tells the story of a nerdy table tennis prodigy and The Baader Meinhof Complex, a German Cold War thriller. Seating on a first come first serve basis.
Various locations and times

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