The Buzz

Recently by Arts Online

Boycott Barilla, Dump Stoli: the value of hashtag-driven boycotts

Categories: Celebrities, Social Media

Tags: antigay laws, Boycott Barilla, Cher, Dan Savage, Mia Farrow, Russia, Sochi, Stolichnaya

If you were among those who recently rejected Stolichnaya in favour of a non-Russian brand of vodka to help draw international attention to Russia's anti-gay legislation, you might want to think twice. Hashtag-driven boycotts are not always the most effective way to make a point.
Music isn't usually associated with endurance, unless you live next door to someone learning to play the violin. But Canadian pianist and composer Frank Horvat is the latest to embark on a music marathon, a growing practice requiring both talent and endurance.

Justin Bieber on Between Two Ferns

Categories: Celebrities, Featured, Movies, Music, Social Media

Tags: Between Two Ferns, Funnyordie.com, Justin Bieber, Zach Galifianakis

Zach Galifianakis is a master of awkward humour, but the latest edition of his hilarious, Webby Award-winning faux-talk show Between Two Ferns -- featuring controversy-plagued pop star Justin Bieber -- takes the cake. In an uproarious and cringe-inducing five minutes that feels surreal and brutally honest, Galifianakis skewers Stratford, Ont.'s Biebs.

Al Pacino, as himself, for One Night Only

Categories: Celebrities, Live Performance, Movies, Television

Tags: Al Pacino, one-man show, One Night Only, Toronto

Who inspired Tony Montana's accent in Scarface? Why was Al Pacino not originally favoured for The Godfather? And where exactly did Scent of a Woman's now-famed "Hoo-ah" come from? Acclaimed actor Pacino is apparently ready to answer those and other fan questions in Toronto this fall when he brings his one-man show to Canada.

ROM Game Jam to breathe new digital life into ancient cultures

Categories: Gaming

Tags: developers, game jam, Gamercamp, Royal Ontario Museum, videogame

It's not every day that a videogame developer creates a new game while sitting next to an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, but for one weekend in August, the Royal Ontario Museum is opening its doors to game creators who will roam through exhibits to gain inspiration for brand new titles.

An essential summertime song list

Categories: Music

Tags: CBC Arts, CBC Music, playlist, summer songs

The temperature's rising. Patio umbrellas are unfurling. Summer is officially here. What better way to toast the sunny season than with an upbeat, funky summer playlist? Check out top picks from Laura Thompson and more from CBC Arts and CBC Music.

Summer reading: top book choices from CBC Arts

Categories: Books

Tags: nonfiction, novels, summer reading

With summer officially here, Canadians turn their thoughts to sitting on a dock or a beach, perhaps with a book or two for company. It's one of life's pleasures to get lost in someone else's ideas or picture of the world. CBC Arts staffers share their wish list for summer reading.

Film, TV tourism spikes with Game of Thrones, The Hobbit

Categories: Movies, Television

Tags: Croatia, film, Game of Thrones, New Zealand, The Hobbit, tourism, tv

Have you ever wanted to knock on Bilbo Baggins' door in Hobbiton or stroll through King's Landing, where the dreaded King Joffrey rules from the Iron Throne? The growing industry of film and TV-inspired tourism allows you to do just that.

Shia LaBeouf: phone surveillance whistleblower?

Categories: Celebrities

Tags: Eagle Eye, Jay Leno, phone surveillance, Shia LaBeouf

Shia LaBeouf is likely in the roster of celebs you might watch onscreen sometimes, but don't really listen to, which may be why his 2008 late-night revelation about phone surveillance was overlooked for so long. The actor warned us that one in five U.S. phone calls were being recorded by the U.S. government -- and now we know he's right.

Reaction to Game of Thrones shocker The Red Wedding

Categories: Movies

Tags: Conan O'Brien, Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, Red Wedding

The Sunday night episode of Game of Thrones was one of those shocking TV events that becomes a water-cooler talking point. Those who've read George R.R. Martin's series of novels know he never holds back on a plot twist and his interview with Conan O'Brien last night shows him eating up the fan reaction.