13 November 2017

Barbie Honors Ibtihaj Muhammad With One-Of-A-Kind Doll At Glamour Women Of The Year Live Summit

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Barbie honors Ibtihaj Muhammad as a Barbie Shero with one-of-a-kind doll in her likeness at the Glamour Women Of The Year LIVE Summit
Barbie honors Ibtihaj Muhammad as a Barbie Shero with one-of-a-kind doll in her likeness at the Glamour Women Of The Year LIVE Summit
Today, Mattel honors Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American Olympian to compete while wearing a hijab, as a Barbie Shero by gifting her a one-of-a-kind doll in her likeness. The doll was unveiled at the Glamour Women of the Year LIVE Summit, an annual event that gives young women the opportunity to hear from select past and present Women of the Year honorees, as well as other influential leaders from a variety of fields, in Brooklyn, NY. 

Muhammad is the latest honoree as part of Barbie Shero program that recognizes women who break boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls. 
  • Muhammad was presented this doll by last year's Shero, body activist and model, Ashley Graham.
"Through playing with Barbie, I was able to imagine and dream about who I could become," said Ibtihaj Muhammad. "I love that my relationship with Barbie has come full circle, and now I have my own doll wearing a hijab that the next generation of girls can use to play out their own dreams." 
One of TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People" of 2016, Muhammad not only breaks boundaries with her swordsmanship, but with the launch of her clothing line, Louella. Noticing a gap in the marketplace, Muhammad designs new fresh and vibrant looks for the modest fashion industry.
"Barbie is celebrating Ibtihaj not only for her accolades as an Olympian, but for embracing what makes her stand out," said Sejal Shah Miller, Vice President of Global Marketing for Barbie. "Ibtihaj is an inspiration to countless girls who never saw themselves represented, and by honoring her story, we hope this doll reminds them that they can be and do anything."
"Ibtihaj Muhammad has challenged every stereotype—which to me is the definition of a modern American woman," said Glamour Editor-in-Chief Cindi Leive. "Last year, she was the first athlete from the U.S to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab, and today we are thrilled to celebrate Ibtihaj as the first hijab-wearing Barbie. She will play a tremendous role in ensuring that girls of the future see themselves represented fully and beautifully in our culture." 
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Ibtihaj Muhammad (image via The Independent)
About Glamour:
Glamour is one of the biggest fashion and beauty media brands in the world, currently reaching an all-time high of one out of eight American women, with 9.7 million print readers, more than 11 million unique monthly users online, and over 14 million followers across social media platforms. 

Glamour believes in the power of women being themselves and stands with women as they do their own thing: honestly, authentically, and awesomely. Across every platform, Glamour is the ultimate authority for the next generation of changemakers.



SOURCE: Mattel, Inc.


Bonus Video:

Internationally Acclaimed Japanese Play 'Godot Has Come' Comes to MontrƩal for 5 Special Performances Only

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Godot Has Come - Poster
Godot Has Come - Poster
InfinithĆ©Ć¢tre is known for incubating original QuĆ©bec playwrights but this time, in association with a new arts centre in N.DG, Espace Knox, they host a world famous original by Japan's most prolific writer Minoru Betsuyaku
Godot Has Come pays a moving and vibrant tribute to Samuel Beckett by taking a layered and hilarious look at our overly occupied existence in modern times. 

  • In an interview with The Irish Examiner, world renowned Japanese director, and director of Godot Has Come, K. Kiyama notes the play reflects "…society which has moved from being family and community based to individualistic and somewhat controlled by technology.". 
  • The Berlin Deutsches Theatre says the play is "…a powerful, successful production…".
  • Paris critique Dashiell Donello calls it "Suite joyeuse dans laquelle sa vision aiguisĆ©e ne laisse rien passer Ć  la sociĆ©tĆ© actuelle.". 
Godot Has Come is Minoru Betsuyaku's deep dive into what it means to actually experience life – and whether, with our manic modern mentality, we can exceed indifference to exist in the moment.
Godot Has Come
InfinithĆ©Ć¢tre's Artistic Director Guy Sprung notes "This is an excellent opportunity for us to continue our on-going dialogue with Japanese theatre. In 2014, Hanafuda Denki was a smash hit with audiences and we're equally excited about Godot Has Come. With comedy as a rich byproduct, the play examines the absurdity of life, of forgetting to wait for what we hope for whether it be a higher power, a break, or the tapestry of relationships we stake our very happiness on. It is not to be missed.".
The Plot: 
Evening. A telegraph post is on stage right. A bus stop sign and a bench are on stage left. 

Estragon in shabby black clothes and hat carrying a shoe is trying to put off another shoe. Vladimir in similar attire comes with a toy trumpet. Lucky with a chain around his neck and Pozzo holding the chain appear just like those in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. But two young female receptionists and an elderly woman with a knitting set join them here. 

Then a man named Godot with an umbrella arrives and abruptly introduces himself to the receptionists, saying “I am Godot.” His arrival is too abrupt to be recognized as Godot. Hereafter he tells Estragon and Vladimir that he is Godot every time he has a chance, but they never react as he has expected. Godot “has finally come” with no mistake but nothing changes with his arrival. There is no dramatic encounter. Only laughter bursts in a vacant sight. 

This is a slapstick comedy – much more comic than the original by Beckett. There lies Minoru Betsuyaku’s strong critical recognition of the present society in this bold challenge. 

Betsuyaku, who has established the Theatre of the Absurd in Japan, wrote this brilliant play as homage to Beckett. 


About The Author:
Minoru Betsuyaku is a leading playwright in the contemporary Japanese theatre. Influenced by writers such as Samuel Beckett and Franz Kafka, his absurd play The Elephant [Zo] (1962) dealing with Atomic bomb victims received a remarkable attention. 

He appeals to his audience in ways he uses the language vividly spoken by people of the lower middle class and develops absurd situations happening in our daily lives. He is known as the most prolific writer of our day; he not only wrote more than 130 plays but also produced children’s stories, essays, criticisms, etc. 

  • 1966 Founded the Waseda Little Theater with Tadashi Suzuki
  • 1968 Awarded the 13th “New TheatreKishida Kunio Drama Award for his play The Little Match Girl [Match-Uri no Shojo] and A Scene with a Red Bird [Akai Tori no Iru Fukei]
  • 1970 Awarded the Kinokuniya Theater Award for A Town and a Blimp [Machi to Hikosen] and Alice in Wonderland [Fushigi no Kuni no Alice]
  • 1987 Awarded the Yomiuri Literature Award for his collection of plays entitled The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country [Shokoku wo Henreki Suru Futari no Kishi no Monogatari] and Other Plays
  • 2007 Awarded the Kinokukniya Theater Award for Godot Has Come [Yattekita Godot]
  • 2008 Awarded the Tsuruya Nanboku Award for Godot Has Come [Yattekita Godot]
  • 2009 Awarded the Asahi Award for his long-time activity as a leading playwright who has established the Theatre of the Absurd in Japan. 

About The Director: 
K. Kiyama (1942〜2013). Graduated from the Law School, Doshisha University. After working at Yomiuri Newspaper Company in Osaka, Theater Company Bungaku-za, Theater Company Shiki, he founded a theater producing company Office Kiyama in 1980 and has been producing about a hundred plays not only in Japan but also in other countries since then; he produced Kanadehon Hamlet in New York, London and Moscow, Barefoot Gen [Hadashi no Gen] in New York, Seoul and Poland, and The Terminal is Japan [Saishu Mokuteki-chi wa Nihon] in Seoul and Pusan. 

He has been working as a director since 2004. 

His directorial works are: 
  • A Scene with a Red Bird [Akai Tori no Iru Fukei] (by Minoru Betsuyaku, produced in Seoul and New York) 
  • It’ll Be a Long Way [Michi Tookaran] (by Kunio Kishida
  • The Legend of the Noon [Shogo no Densetsu] (by Minoru Betsuyaku
  • Sick [Byoki] (by Minoru Betsuyaku, produced in Moscow and Paris in 2010).


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GODOT HAS COME AT ESPACE KNOX
Nov 28th – Dec 2nd, Tues-Sat. at 8:00 pm 
At Espace Knox, 6215 ave Godfrey, MontrĆ©al, QC H4B 1K3 
Regular: $30, Students/Seniors: $23, Groups: $20, Season 6-Packs (6 tickets for $120)
Box Office: 514 987-1774 ext. 104; Box-Office@Infinitheatre.com or Infinitheatre.com
(70 MINUTES IN JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH AND FRENCH SURTITLES)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

InfinithĆ©Ć¢tre: developing, producing, and brokering new QuĆ©bec work.
  • InfinithĆ©Ć¢tre is generously supported by season sponsors: CN and Hydro-QuĆ©bec
  • InfinithĆ©Ć¢tre also thanks our production sponsor HĆ“tel Le Cantlie Suites
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett (image via Wikipedia)

SOURCE: InfinithĆ©Ć¢tre

10 November 2017

French Holocaust Survivor Donates $500,000 to Aid American Wounded Veterans

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Bernard Darty, 83, is compelled to support Wounded Warrior Project this Veterans Day in honor of his family’s 1944 rescue at Normandy.
Bernard Darty, 83, is compelled to support Wounded Warrior Project this Veterans Day in honor of his family’s 1944 rescue at Normandy.
At age 83, Paris-born Bernard Darty feels fortunate to enjoy time with his family and spend winters in Miami Beach nearly three-quarters of a century after escaping Nazi invaders in France as a child. 

Although he lost his mother to the Auschwitz concentration camp, today he is so moved with gratitude for the American troops who liberated him in Normandy in 1944 that he has made a significant donation of $500,000 to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) this Veterans Day to help U.S. veterans and their families—hoping to trigger a new movement of supporting American veterans.
"In giving this donation, I want to thank Americans with all my heart for rescuing us during the war," Darty said. "The gratitude I feel to these men is beyond words. They were saviors, doling out sweets to half-starved, war-worn children who had almost given up hope of freedom. That is why I want to support American veterans—and why I support America. I hope my donation inspires others to do the same."

  • Darty's donation will support two key WWP programs: Warrior Care Network, which connects wounded veterans and their families with individualized mental health care, and the Independence Program, which works with warriors with moderate to severe brain injury, spinal cord injury, or other neurological conditions to ensure each wounded veteran can live as independently as possible.
"We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Darty for his generosity, which will enable us to reach even more veterans, particularly those most in need," said WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. "We serve the most critical needs of our nation's wounded heroes, including those who live with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Thanks to generous supporters like Mr. Darty, we provide them crucial support services free of charge, making a tremendous difference in the lives of wounded veterans of this generation and their families."
Holocaust story illuminates strong ties to America
Darty was born in 1934 to a Jewish family that had fled the pogroms in Poland for France, hoping for safety there. With the German invasion of France in 1940, however, the family was again at risk. 

An older brother was sent on the first convoy to Auschwitz, but fortunately survived. Darty's mother was not so lucky when, on July 16, 1942, the French police led a big round-up of Jews. At 6 am that morning, Darty recalls the police came to the family's apartment. Darty, age 7, was able to escape to an aunt's house that was considered safe, but his mother was sent to Auschwitz and likely died three weeks later. 
Darty spent the next few years living in foster homes on the outskirts of Paris, afraid and living on borrowed time. The day American troops came ashore at Normandy in June 1944, Darty finally felt the relief of freedom.
That was the beginning of his connections to America. Since then, he and his wife, also a Holocaust survivor, have wintered in South Florida ever since his retirement 26 years ago—to which he says, "I have had the chance to meet many American people who I am lucky enough to call my friends. First, Americans saved us, and then 50 years later they welcomed us."


  • Darty hopes his donation will deepen that trans-Atlantic connection, inspiring other families throughout Europe to help American veterans in deference to the shared history of the Allied forces of World War II.

About Wounded Warrior Project
  • Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. 
  • Read more here

SOURCE: Wounded Warrior Project

Teaser for New Documentary "The American Question" Challenges Americans To Question Whether They Are Part Of The Problem

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Award Winning Director and co-creator of The American Question James Kicklighter
Award Winning Director and co-creator of The American Question James Kicklighter
A year after the historically divisive 2016 elections, a new documentary is challenging Americans to stop blaming others and question how their own decisions and actions shape the contours of our society and our country. 

By asking questions about family, money, religion, civics and more, the film gets viewers to question whether the divisions in our society truly stem from group dynamics, or if we're all part of the problem as individuals.
A trailer for the film has now been released  to audiences worldwide.
The Trailer:

"The American Question," produced by Guy Seemann – a political veteran and entrepreneur who's lived all over the world and directed by James Kicklighter – a Hollywood filmmaker raised in rural Georgia, profiles dozens of Americans from across the political, economic and social spectrum in search of these answers, going far deeper than just getting people together to find some superficial common ground.

The film explores this question through the lens of history, deteriorating civic education and evolving culture rather than rehashing the 2016 election. 

  • After conducting dozens of interviews of people from different walks of life all across the country, the creators believe something much bigger is at work, and that it has the potential to threaten the status of America as a superpower.
"We found that our divides had nothing to do with the election," Seemann said. "Fights spring up over core values which are supposed to unite us as a nation. Religion, speech, equality, opportunity -- these concepts kept coming up over and over again."

"This is a unique period in time, but the identity crisis we're feeling is part of a cyclical pattern in this country. After our nation unites to defeat a common enemy – the imperial British, slavery and secession or the Nazis, we tend to lose our cohesiveness. This time, though, we have to address this issue or our status as a cohesive entity – let alone a superpower – is under threat," he added.
Kicklighter continued, "there's a set of values that define what it means to be an American. I heard people from all corners of the country saying the other side did not have their interests in mind. A fascinating pattern unfolded about the broader culture here, and we are trying to figure out what's causing it and what it means."
"What's dangerous is when someone comes to a different set of conclusions based on their ideological perspective and pegs the other as an enemy simply because the other doesn't agree with their individualized ideology," Kicklighter said. "I hope The American Question helps people recognize that their neighbor is as American as they are. That's the starting point we need to get to," he said.
With entire communities in crisis due to this breakdown over America's core values, the filmmakers are looking to spark a national conversation to encourage viewers to rethink how they themselves approach their own life decisions as well as their perceived differences with their neighbors. 

  • Seemann, Kicklighter and their national team want to enable them to reconcile over the shared values laid out in the founding documents which have helped the country overcome adversity since its founding.
Political Scientist, Producer and co-creator of the American Question Guy Seemann
Political Scientist, Producer and co-creator of the American Question Guy Seemann


SOURCE: The American Question


Related Video:


9 November 2017

Nicki Minaj Stars In H&M's Magical Holiday Film

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H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(PRNewsfoto/H&M)
The H&M's 2017 Holiday campaign film will star Nicki Minaj alongside Jesse Williams and John Turturro. Directed by Johan Renck, the film tells a story of a parallel fantasy world filled with memorable characters and a universal message of caring for one another.

A modern take on the classic fairytale, the film centres around a heroic little girl who tracks down the evil brother of Santa Claus in order to save the holiday season from his selfishness. 



H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)
Nicki Minaj stars as the mother of the little girl as well as the fabulous fairy named the Wisest Thingy, while Jesse Williams plays the dual role of the father and the supernatural Fastest Fairy, and John Turturro takes on the part of both Santa Claus and the evil brother of Santa Claus.
"I love the film's over all empowering message. I love seeing this young girl become the champion that lives in all of us. There's always magic in the air during the Holidays," says Nicki Minaj 

"It's exciting to see our festive designs come to life together with such inspirational talents. They definitely added some extra magic to the film and we hope that our customers will love how the fashion is presented throughout the holiday season at H&M," says Pernilla Wohlfahrt, H&M's Head of Design and Creative Director.
H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)

The Teaser Film:


  • The full version of the Holiday film will go live on hm.com on November 28th.


SOURCE: H&M


Bonus Videos:






More Related Pictures:
H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)
H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)

H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)

H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)

H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)


H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)


H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)


H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)


H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)


H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)


H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)


H&M's 2017 Christmas Holiday campaign
(Image courtesy of H&M)

Ted Naifeh to Kickstarter Heroines Graphic Novel

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The Heroines Cast
The Heroines Cast
Ted Naifeh, creator of Princess Ugg and Courtney Crumrin, is set to launch a Kickstarter in partnership with Space Goat Publishing for his latest passion project, Heroines

The campaign will focus on the Heroines graphic novel -- a digest-size, perfect-bound collection of all eight issues of Heroines totaling over 200 pages of content. It will be published under Space Goat's Backpack Editions.

"All my life, I've been a fan of superheroes in one form or another," said creator Ted Naifeh. "And I've always wanted to explore the genre, to see if I could tease out something new. Working outside the mainstream and with readers directly on Kickstarter gives me the creative freedom to do just that."
Ted Naifeh's Heroines - Logo
Ted Naifeh's Heroines
Heroines tells the tale of Marcy Madison--fresh out of college, blessed with brains, boundless optimism, and a nifty superpower. Marcy's greatest ambition is to make the world a better place. And what better way to do that than become a superhero? But Marcy soon finds the world of superheroes an impenetrable boy's club, mired in pessimism, and more than ready to dismiss her. 

  • Determined to blaze her own trail, she sets out to find like-minded heroines,fellow outsiders who want to do things their own way. But if there's one thing more dangerous than fighting evil, it's rocking the boat.
The story of Heroines is currently only half told. The crowdfunding campaign is to raise funds for the second story arc and the manufacturing of the graphic novel. 

Ted Naifeh's Heroines
(image via Fresh Comics
There are a variety of tiers for fans of Naifeh's work in this Kickstarter campaign, including the option for backers to receive signed copies of original #1s of Courtney Crumrin, Princess Ugg, and Heroines as well as cameos in the graphic novels--and even commissions available only for Kickstarter backers.


MORE ABOUT SPACE GOAT PRODUCTIONS:

Created in 2006, Space Goat Productions has 150 years of combined experience producing comic books, tabletop games, video games, commercial art, and concept design. 

They have worked on global brands and produced commercial art with Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Marvel Comics, DC Entertainment, Disney Interactive, Nike, Universal City, Penguin, Capstone, Scholastic, and more. 

Their new tabletop game division, Space Goat Play, launched with the Evil Dead 2, Terminator, and The Howling board games to critical acclaim. 


Ted Naifeh's Heroines
(image via Fresh Comics

MORE ABOUT TED NAIFEH:
Bursting onto the scene as co-creator/illustrator of goth romance comic Gloomcookie, Ted Naifeh is best known for Courtney Crumrin, the multi-volume horror-fantasy adventures of a tween curmudgeon witch and her warlock uncle. 

In 2014, Ted wrote and illustrated Princess Ugg, the adventure of a barbarian princess going to princess finishing school. 

  • Courtney Crumrin has been nominated for several Eisners, and remains a popular mainstay on the shelves of discerning comics shops. 
  • Princess Ugg has garnered much praise from the comics community and beyond.

SOURCE: Space Goat Productions

8 November 2017

Will Your Dog Eat Your Steak Dinner?

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hungry dog
If you tell your dog not to eat the steak, will he obey you?
You throw a perfectly cooked sizzling steak on your dining room table. Then you step away for a bottle of wine. As you head towards the cellar, you pause and look at your dog. You wag your finger and say, "Buster, do not eat this steak!" Buster looks back at you hungrily, eying your juicy hunk of sirloin.
"Buster will make a decision based on what he wants," says Perry Marshall, founder of Natural Code LLC. "And when you leave, he's going to decide whether to obey you or not. However, the situation turns out, he's doing something that no computer can do – which is to want something, then choose whether to take it or not."
This attribute, Marshall insists, is exclusive to living things. Computers don't do it. Rocks and molecules don't either. The aspect of will, which every pet owner and parent is all too familiar with, is what divides living from the nonliving.
Marshall seeks to unravel life's mystery with a $5-million Evolution 2.0 Prize. "If you trace life to its very beginnings, you'll find that information in DNA is the central mystery. It's the original set of choices. Nobody knows how we got from chemicals to code. But we intend to find out."
Marshall's private equity investment group, Natural Code LLC, suspects that the same physical principle that animates life today may have also given rise to the digital instructions in the very first cell.
"If we can solve this, Artificial Intelligence stands to make a giant forward leap. Because for the first time, we might be able to make computers that program themselves, much as living things do," says Marshall.
Evolution 2.0 Prize - Logo
Evolution 2.0 Prize, funded by Natural Code LLC
  • The Evolution 2.0 Prize takes its inspiration from Peter Diamandis and his Ansari X Prize for Space Flight. It was a $10-million challenge which resulted in a successful launch of a reusable manned space capsule into orbit, twice in two weeks.
"We all know that when you talk to Siri or Alexa, there's nobody 'in there.' Everyone knows Siri is just a hunk of silicon. But what if we had a living algorithm? What if your iPhone or computer could do what your dog does? That will transform everything," Marshall says. "It will spawn new billion-dollar industries."





The Video:

'Trump And The Media – Year One': The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza On A Dizzying Political Year

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Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, will be in conversation with Piya Chattopadhyay, host of CBC Radio’s Out in the Open, for the CJF J-Talk in Toronto on December 4.
Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, will be in conversation with Piya Chattopadhyay, host of CBC Radio’s Out in the Open, for the CJF J-Talk in Toronto on December 4. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)
Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, offers his insights on the tumultuous relationship between the Trump administration and the media at The Canadian Journalism Foundation's J-Talk, Trump and the Media – Year 1, on December 4 in Toronto.

Lizza's reporting made headlines this summer when then-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, a.k.a "The Mooch," made a profane-laden call to him, demanding to know who was leaking information to the press. 


  • Lizza will be in a conversation with Piya Chattopadhyay, host of the CBC Radio's Out in the Open.
"Ryan Lizza is on the frontlines of trying to navigate the new realities for journalists covering an unconventional president, in a world in which journalism, commentary and distrust are at the fore," says Chattopadhyay. "I look forward to talking with Ryan about how he cuts through all the noise in his increasingly divided country."
Lizza has covered the last four presidential campaigns, profiled a number of powerful political figures and brings deep understanding to the most unsettling year of a U.S. presidency.

  • This event is part of the annual J-Talks series that explores pressing media issues.

WHEN: 
  • Monday, December 4
  • Doors open: 6:30 p.m. 
  • Discussion 7:00 p.m. 
  • Reception 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: 
  • TMX Broadcast Centre, The Exchange Tower, 130 King St. W., Toronto
  • General admission: $25
  • Student tickets (ID required. Limited availability): $15
  • Buy tickets
Ryan Lizza
Ryan Lizza
About Ryan Lizza:
(via Canadian Journalism Foundation J-Talks)

RYAN LIZZA is the Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, and also an on-air contributor for CNN. Before joining the magazine, in 2007, he was a political correspondent for The New Republic, from 1998 to 2007, and, before that, a correspondent for GQ and a contributing editor at New York. 

He has also written for the New York Times, Washington Monthly, and The Atlantic Monthly

  • Since 1998, he has covered most of the country’s major political stories, including the last four Presidential campaigns, and has written many political profiles for The New Yorker. 
His awards include the 2012 National Press Club's Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence, for his article “The Consequentialist,” and the White House Correspondents' Association’s Aldo Beckman Memorial Award, for a series on Obama’s Presidency and reelection campaign. 

His article “Making It” was a 2009 National Magazine Award finalist, and his 2010 article “As the World Burns” received honorable mentions from the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting and the National Press Foundation Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress.

Piya Chattopadhyay
Piya Chattopadhyay
About 
Piya Chattopadhyay:
(via Canadian Journalism Foundation J-Talks)

PIYA CHATTOPADHYAY is the host of CBC Radio's OUT IN THE OPEN, an adventurous and wide-ranging weekly one-hour program about the nitty-gritty of real life. Each week, Chattopadhyay and her team look at how one big topic is affecting regular people, and invite listeners to join the conversation. 

Prior to that, Chattopadhyay worked as a guest host for TVO's The Agenda. Additionally, she spent more than a decade in the field as a news reporter here in Canada, and was often on the road, reporting from abroad on numerous assignments for CBC

  • She has reported from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, India, the U.K. and France, to name but a few. 
In 2007, Chattopadhyay decided to take on a new adventure and moved to Jerusalem where she first freelanced for CBC, PRI and the BBC, before taking on the role of Middle East Correspondent for Fox News Radio

  • During her three years in the region, she travelled to numerous countries, covering stories ranging from war and conflict, peace and politics, to coping and everyday life.

7 November 2017

The Jim Henson Company to Develop Kids Series Based on IAmElemental's Realistic Female Superhero Role Models

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IAmElemental's Series 1/Courage and Series 2/Wisdom figures
IAmElemental's Series 1/Courage and Series 2/Wisdom figures
The Jim Henson Company announced today it will develop a new animated children's television series based on the popular female action figures by IAmElemental. The series will target children ages 6 to 12. 

The deal will give The Jim Henson Company the opportunity to develop and produce the television series across all platforms. Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford of The Jim Henson Company will serve as executive producers.

IAmElemental created the first-ever female action figures designed specifically for children. Its Series 1/Courage figures (modeled on Joan of Arc,) include Bravery, Honesty, Fear, Enthusiasm, Energy, Industry and Persistence. Series 2/Wisdom (with ancient Alexandrian STEM pioneer Hypatia as the muse,) includes Creativity, Ingenuity, Curiosity, Logic, Exploration, Mastery and Oblivion.

The company conducted a Kickstarter campaign which was fully funded in two days, drawing backers from all 50 states and six continents, and its groundbreaking products were named by TIME Magazine as one of the "25 Best Inventions of 2014" and "Top 10 Toys of 2014.

Most recently, IAmElemental was selected as a finalist in the 2018 "Action Figure of the Year" category at the Toy Industry Association's Toy of the Year Awards. The company was also a 2017 finalist in two categories, "Action Figure of the Year" and "Rookie of the Year."

The Toy Industry Association has announced its 2018 Toy of the Year finalists – and IAmElemental has been selected in the Action Figure of the Year category for its Series 2/Wisdom figures.
The Toy Industry Association has announced its 2018 Toy of the Year finalists – and IAmElemental has been selected in the Action Figure of the Year category for its Series 2/Wisdom figures.
"At The Jim Henson Company, we have a tradition of creating strong female heroes in our past and current television and film franchises," said Halle Stanford, President of Television at The Jim Henson Company. "Partnering with IAmElemental is incredibly exciting because it will be our first foray into the superhero genre with a cast of powerful young women at its core. We are excited to introduce a unique and fresh superhero television series geared for children all over the world."

"We are thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to work with the Superhero team at The Jim Henson Company," said Julie Kerwin, Chief Elemental Officer, IAmElemental. "Their Superpowers of creativity and originality have inspired me both as a child and as an adult, and I couldn't wish for a better partner to bring the IAmElemental messages of character strength and empowerment to a wider audience."
Julie Kerwin, Chief Elemental Officer, IAmElemental
Julie Kerwin

  • IAmElemental's female action figures are available online and in retail stores worldwide. "If you give a girl a different toy, she will tell a different story"; "Play with power"; "It's character, not characters"; "Shared, everyone's powers grow stronger"; and "We have Superpowers. Want some?" are trademarks of IAmElemental

About The Jim Henson Company:
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 60 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. 
Best known as creators of the world-famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. 
  • Recent credits include Julie's Greenroom (Netflix), Dot. (Sprout/Hulu), Splash and Bubbles (PBS), Word Party (Netflix), Doozers (Hulu/ Sprout), and the Emmy-nominated Sid the Science Kid (PBS), Dinosaur Train (PBS), and Pajanimals (Sprout). 
  • Television productions include Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller and the sci-fi cult series Farscape
  • Features include Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, as well as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, MirrorMask, and Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow
  • The Company is currently in production on the feature The Happytime Murders, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the upcoming Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
  • Projects in development include the highly anticipated film Fraggle Rock.
  • The Company's Henson Alternative brand is currently touring Puppet-Up! – Uncensored, a live puppet improvisational show. 




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