Hello Kitty turns 40 with 1st ever fan convention

Hello Kitty cuteness took over Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend on the first ever Hello Kitty fan convention.

The convention has drawn more than 25,000 fans over four days. Long lines snaked through the sold-out event — $30 for adults and $20 for children aged six to 12 — for the festival.at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art. 

Visitors could pose for photos with Hello Kitty, get permanently inked with her image, hear lectures about her popularity and shop for exclusive products created for the mouthless cat character's 40th birthday, which falls on November 1st.

The first Hello Kitty product was a coin purse, launched in 1975. (Sanrio/ Associated Press)

Chicago tattoo artist Mario Desa created about 100 Hello Kitty-inspired designs for ink-friendly fans. Scores of fans came in costume, wearing Hello Kitty dresses, cat ears and the character's signature red bow.

Many vintage Hello Kitty items are also on display, including the Hello Kitty coin purse issued in Japan in 1975 that launched her popularity. For its first U.S. appearance, the tiny, original vinyl purse is displayed with all the pomp of a famous and expensive jewel. It sits atop a pile of blue velvet inside a glass case rimmed with red ropes, all alone in a room manned by security guards.

Lectures, panel discussions and hands-on craft workshops are offered throughout the convention, along with ample shopping opportunities.

Companies such as Sephora and Spam have created special products for Hello Kitty Con, including a $450 crystal-encrusted makeup-brush set and Spam shaped like a Kitty face.

Another pop-up shop carries convention souvenirs and 40th anniversary limited-edition items, while a "Vintage Shoppe" offers authentic antique pieces, including a Hello Kitty plush doll that cost $14.50 in 1976 and now sells for $150.

Hello Kitty helps generates about $8 billion a year for its creator Sanrio, according to the company.

The neighbouring Japanese American National Museum is showing an associated exhibit, "Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty," through until April that features a breadth of Hello Kitty products as well as creative interpretations of the character from 40 international artists.

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Jian Ghomeshi investigators hear from 3rd woman

Toronto police are asking for the public's help as they investigate former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi for what they are calling complaints of "assault and sexual assault" after three women alleged that they were attacked by him.

The investigation is in its "infancy," sex crimes Insp. Joanna Beaven-Desjardins said Saturday. None of the allegations has been proven.

She called on anyone with any evidence that could help the investigation to contact police and said potential evidence would include videos, photos or online messaging.

She encouraged any potential further victims to contact police as well — either to file a report, discuss their options or seek counselling.

"Even if they don't want to report but they want to talk to us, we welcome that," Beaven-Desjardins said at news conference.

Former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi denies any allegations that he engaged in non-consensual sexual activities. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

Over the past week, several women have spoken with either the Toronto Star or CBC and claimed they were in some way attacked by Ghomeshi during romantic encounters. The majority of the women spoke with the media anonymously and, at the time, none of them had filed a police complaint.

Trailer Park Boys star Lucy DeCoutere told CBC News that Ghomeshi physically attacked her during a date in 2003. None of the women who spoke with the CBC instructed Ghomeshi to stop the alleged violence as it was happening.

Sunday, November 2, 2014 | Categories: Michael's Essays 20

Beaven-Desjardins would not say if any of the women who have filed police complaints are among those who spoke to the media.

CBC News has confirmed DeCoutere is one of the three women who have since come forward to the police.

"On Thursday, Oct. 23, CBC saw, for the first time, graphic evidence that Jian Ghomeshi had caused physical injury to a woman. We have reached out to the police and will fully cooperate with their investigation," CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said Saturday.

Ghomeshi has denied all allegations that he engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity. He posted a detailed note on Facebook last weekend describing his sexual preferences and said he has only participated in acts that were "mutually agreed upon, consensual and exciting for both partners."

On Thursday, he issued a new Facebook statement, saying, "I want to thank you for your support and assure you that I intend to meet these allegations directly. I don't intend to discuss this matter any further with the media."

CBC ended its relationship with the former Q host on Oct. 26.

Ghomeshi has launched a $55-million lawsuit against the CBC and is also grieving his dismissal through the union process.

Beaven-Desjardins said the police have not yet spoken to Ghomeshi. She said the police will invite him to come speak to them.

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Oculus Rift, new virtual reality device, breaks out at Toronto's TAVES show

Back in the early '90s, virtual reality, or VR, promised to revolutionize gaming and many other experiences. But the clunky goggles, gloves and jerky lag time between the user's movements and the visuals were underwhelming if not vomit-inducing.

Flash forward to 2014: where experts say we're now finally on the verge of a VR revolution that will soon change the way we play games and experience the movies.

Oculus Rift development kits sell for about $350. (TAVES Consumer Electronics Show)

Getting a lot of the hype is a new piece of hardware called Oculus Rift. These VR goggles put the user inside an invented 3-D world with no lag time and stunning results. The company was bought a few months ago by Facebook for $2 billion.

Now eager Canadian tech lovers will be able to get their hands on the not-yet-available device at the 2014 Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show.

Stephan Tanguay​ is one of hundreds of thousands of developers designing products to take advantage of the technology, creating content for when the consumer models are available.

"It can't be stopped," said the Toronto-based designer who is developing his own VR game for the headset.

"To actually be able to throw myself and project myself into a universe where I feel the depth and there's no window I'm looking through but I'm in that space, I don't think you can get much better than that."

Sleepy Hollow's Ichabod Crane (2nd from left) cut fans heads off during an Oculus Rift demo at San Diego's Comic Con. (FOX)

​Pietro Gagliano is the Creative Director of Toronto company Secret Location that recently created a virtual reality experience to promote the Sleepy Hollow TV series. Thousands of people at San Diego's Comic Con were able to enjoy an immersive experience created for the Oculus Rift that featured the character Ichabod Crane cutting your head off. 

Gagliano says he's sold on the future of VR. "I definitely see virtual reality as a technology that is going mainstream. We are on the cusp of it breaking out of the nerdy basements and becoming a viable commercial product."

An Oculus Rift development kit is available to developers for about $350. A consumer version of the headset is expected sometime next summer.

In the meantime, Sony, Samsung and Google are all racing to get their VR devices into the hands of consumers.

These devices should hit the market sometime in 2015. If the advance hype is correct, the world of entertainment will never be the same. 

TAVES Consumer Electronics Show runs until Nov. 2 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto.

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Amy Poehler: Comedy is a 'high stakes job'

At 43, Amy Poehler is already something of a comedic legend.

From her late night sketches on Saturday Night Live, to her acerbic workplace sitcom​ Parks and Recreation, the Massachusetts-born actor, producer and writer has developed a reputation for her biting wit and snappy delivery—a harder, edgier consort to frequent collaborator and self-described "comedy wife" Tina Fey.

Like Fey, Poehler is likely venturing into bestselling territory, releasing her first book Yes Please.

Watch the National

On CBC Television
Sunday - Friday    10/10:30 NT*
Saturday    6 p.m. ET*
*except in Ontario-East where viewers will see their local CBC News)

On CBC News Network
Monday - Friday    9 p.m. & 11 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday & Sunday    9 p.m. ET/PT

The new book, out this week, is part tell-all memoir and part advice guide. It traces Poehler's career from her start in college improv groups to her stardom in television and film.

It also contains revealing behind-the-scenes stories from SNL.

In an upcoming feature interview with The National's Wendy Mesley, Poehler describes how nerves can bring many huge celebrities down to size.

"When people are nervous they're very nice to you," Poehler explains. "Usually the hosts were kind of looking to you to say, 'how do I do this? Is this going well?'" 

Despite the big laughs, and massive SNL stardom, Poehler also reveals that she broke down in tears in her office sometimes.

"[SNL] is a job and a high stakes job," she admits. "Some weeks you'd feel like you scored and then you'd have to start over again, and just like any job in the arts there was rejection and frustration and complication and that kind of stuff."

Catch Wendy Mesley's full interview with Amy Poehler Friday night on The National.

Watch a preview in the video above.

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Amy Poehler: Comedy is a 'high stakes job'

At 43, Amy Poehler is already something of a comedic legend.

From her late night sketches on Saturday Night Live, to her acerbic workplace sitcom​ Parks and Recreation, the Massachusetts-born actor, producer and writer has developed a reputation for her biting wit and snappy delivery—a harder, edgier consort to frequent collaborator and self-described "comedy wife" Tina Fey.

Like Fey, Poehler is likely venturing into bestselling territory, releasing her first book Yes Please.

Watch the National

On CBC Television
Sunday - Friday    10/10:30 NT*
Saturday    6 p.m. ET*
*except in Ontario-East where viewers will see their local CBC News)

On CBC News Network
Monday - Friday    9 p.m. & 11 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday & Sunday    9 p.m. ET/PT

The new book, out this week, is part tell-all memoir and part advice guide. It traces Poehler's career from her start in college improv groups to her stardom in television and film.

It also contains revealing behind-the-scenes stories from SNL.

In an upcoming feature interview with The National's Wendy Mesley, Poehler describes how nerves can bring many huge celebrities down to size.

"When people are nervous they're very nice to you," Poehler explains. "Usually the hosts were kind of looking to you to say, 'how do I do this? Is this going well?'" 

Despite the big laughs, and massive SNL stardom, Poehler also reveals that she broke down in tears in her office sometimes.

"[SNL] is a job and a high stakes job," she admits. "Some weeks you'd feel like you scored and then you'd have to start over again, and just like any job in the arts there was rejection and frustration and complication and that kind of stuff."

Catch Wendy Mesley's full interview with Amy Poehler Friday night on The National.

Watch a preview in the video above.

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Oculus Rift hits Canada's largest consumer electronics show

Back in the early '90s, virtual reality, or VR, promised to revolutionize gaming and many other experiences. But the clunky goggles, gloves and jerky lag time between the user's movements and the visuals were underwhelming if not vomit-inducing.

Flash forward to 2014: where experts say we're now finally on the verge of a VR revolution that will soon change the way we play games and experience the movies.

Oculus Rift development kits sell for about $350. (TAVES Consumer Electronics Show)

Getting a lot of the hype is a new piece of hardware called Oculus Rift. These VR goggles put the user inside an invented 3-D world with no lag time and stunning results. The company was bought a few months ago by Facebook for $2 billion.

Now eager Canadian tech lovers will be able to get their hands on the not-yet-available device at the 2014 Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show.

Stephan Tanguay​ is one of hundreds of thousands of developers designing products to take advantage of the technology, creating content for when the consumer models are available.

"It can't be stopped," said the Toronto-based designer who is developing his own VR game for the headset.

"To actually be able to throw myself and project myself into a universe where I feel the depth and there's no window I'm looking through but I'm in that space, I don't think you can get much better than that."

Sleepy Hollow's Ichabod Crane (2nd from left) cut fans heads off during an Oculus Rift demo at San Diego's Comic Con. (FOX)

​Pietro Gagliano is the Creative Director of Toronto company Secret Location that recently created a virtual reality experience to promote the Sleepy Hollow TV series. Thousands of people at San Diego's Comic Con were able to enjoy an immersive experience created for the Oculus Rift that featured the character Ichabod Crane cutting your head off. 

Gagliano says he's sold on the future of VR. "I definitely see virtual reality as a technology that is going mainstream. We are on the cusp of it breaking out of the nerdy basements and becoming a viable commercial product."

An Oculus Rift development kit is available to developers for about $350. A consumer version of the headset is expected sometime next summer.

In the meantime, Sony, Samsung and Google are all racing to get their VR devices into the hands of consumers.

These devices should hit the market sometime in 2015. If the advance hype is correct, the world of entertainment will never be the same. 

TAVES Consumer Electronics Show runs until Nov. 2 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto.

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Jodi Picoult goes among the elephants for new novel Leaving Time

Best-selling author Jodi Picoult thinks elephants are lucky when it comes to parenting—that's how she came up with the idea for her new novel, Leaving Time.
 
"I had three kids, my youngest is a daughter, she was getting ready to go to college and I was going to be an empty nester, and I was completely devastated by that thought," said Picoult in an interview with CBC's Deana Sumanac-Johnson.  

"I happened to read an article in a magazine that said this amazing fact about the wild and the elephant herd: that in an elephant herd, mother and daughter elephants stay together their whole lives, until one of them dies. And I thought, that's so great, why don't we do that?"

Leaving Time focuses on a young woman, Jenna Metcalf, who tries to find her mother, Alice, an elephant researcher who mysteriously disappeared a decade ago

To believably portray the world of elephant herds, Picoult visited sanctuaries where the majestic mammals live, in both the United States and Botswana.

"I learned that they had these extraordinary powers of cognition and empathy and that they understood loss and I realized that if I was writing a book about being left behind, I could wrap it in a metaphor of elephants and kind of come up with a novel about how the people we love the most maybe never leave us," says Picoult.

In the video above, Picoult reads from her new novel, Leaving Time.

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Jian Ghomeshi investigators hear from 3rd woman

Toronto police are asking for the public's help as they investigate former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi for what they are calling complaints of "assault and sexual assault" after three women alleged that they were attacked by him.

The investigation is in its "infancy," sex crimes Insp. Joanna Beaven-Desjardins said Saturday. None of the allegations has been proven.

She called on anyone with any evidence that could help the investigation to contact police and said potential evidence would include videos, photos or online messaging.

She encouraged any potential further victims to contact police as well — either to file a report, discuss their options or seek counselling.

"Even if they don't want to report but they want to talk to us, we welcome that," Beaven-Desjardins said at news conference.

Former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi denies any allegations that he engaged in non-consensual sexual activities. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)

Over the past week, several women have spoken with either the Toronto Star or CBC and claimed they were in some way attacked by Ghomeshi during romantic encounters. The majority of the women spoke with the media anonymously and, at the time, none of them had filed a police complaint.

Trailer Park Boys star Lucy DeCoutere told CBC News that Ghomeshi physically attacked her during a date in 2003. None of the women who spoke with the CBC instructed Ghomeshi to stop the alleged violence as it was happening.

Sunday, November 2, 2014 | Categories: Michael's Essays 20

Beaven-Desjardins would not say if any of the women who have filed police complaints are among those who spoke to the media.

CBC News has confirmed DeCoutere is one of the three women who have since come forward to the police.

"On Thursday, Oct. 23, CBC saw, for the first time, graphic evidence that Jian Ghomeshi had caused physical injury to a woman. We have reached out to the police and will fully cooperate with their investigation," CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said Saturday.

Ghomeshi has denied all allegations that he engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity. He posted a detailed note on Facebook last weekend describing his sexual preferences and said he has only participated in acts that were "mutually agreed upon, consensual and exciting for both partners."

On Thursday, he issued a new Facebook statement, saying, "I want to thank you for your support and assure you that I intend to meet these allegations directly. I don't intend to discuss this matter any further with the media."

CBC ended its relationship with the former Q host on Oct. 26.

Ghomeshi has launched a $55-million lawsuit against the CBC and is also grieving his dismissal through the union process.

Beaven-Desjardins said the police have not yet spoken to Ghomeshi. She said the police will invite him to come speak to them.

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Ghostbusters trailer remade by student filmmakers

If Ghostbusters 3 director, Paul Feig, is still looking to cast his all-female reboot of the supernatural comedy franchise, perhaps he should start by looking in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Students from the Boston suburb have created a Halloween-worthy, shot-for shot remake of the original Ghostbusters trailer. But unlike the 1984 film, the main characters are all played by girls and the female characters are played by boys.

• On mobile? Watch the middle school remake here

The short was produced by Real to Reel, a local nonprofit program that inspires youth to tell their stories through film.

The 2-minute short syncs up with the original trailer's audio track, but the Ghostbusters' hearse, the Ecto-1, is hilariously replaced by a hand-held Dinky car.

What the video lacks in special effects, it makes up for in heart, with the girl playing Bill Murray's Peter Venkman character nailing the comedian's signature deadpan.

So, just how close is the remake to the original? Watch the side-by-side comparison and judge for yourself.

GhostBOSters Trailer Split Screen Comparison from Real To Reel on Vimeo.

• On mobile? Watch the side-by-side comparison here 

As for the highly anticipated Ghostbusters 3, not much is known about the re-boot, except that Feig plans to fill the cast with "hilarious women."

Earlier reports pegged the release for early 2015, though that date appears unlikely.

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Edmonton's homeless piano man reveals rough life behind his music

Ryan Arcand has the look of a man many people would avoid on the street. Homeless for the past three decades, his worn jacket and laceless sneakers telegraph to those he encounters that he has lived a hard life.

He might have remained one of the city's largely anonymous homeless panhandlers, if not for a serendipitous encounter with Roslyn Polard, who recorded a video of Arcand playing the piano and posted it on YouTube on Oct. 23.

When Polard happened on him, Arcand was playing an old, battered piano set up in Edmonton's Sir Winston Churchill square, free for anyone to play.

Ryan Arcand, who became a viral sensation when a video of his piano playing was posted to YouTube, says he's been banned from using many of the free pianos in Edmonton because of his drinking habits. (Rick Bremness/CBC)

As Polard passed, the sweet notes drew her closer. She was mesmerized by the beauty of the melody. After he finished playing, Arcand noted that he had written the piece.

Within days, the video of the man, then known only as "Ryan," had gone viral.

In just 24 hours, it drew almost 800,000 hits. Within a week, almost two million people had watched the video, with many viewers from around the world posting comments on the quality of Ryan's skill and musicality. Many asked questions about the mysterious melody he played. 

But for more than a week after the video was posted, his story remained a mystery. 

Searching for the unknown musician

Outreach workers at homeless shelters in the city said they knew vaguely of Ryan, but not much about him.

Workers said he'd occasionally appear at shelters or where food was served to the homeless, but remained relatively unknown, in spite of his longevity on the streets.

It took a CBC News crew three days of searching to track him down.

In the end, we found him sitting on the stairs of an Edmonton Church, with some cans of Bow Valley Strong beer in a plastic bag beside him.

As we spoke, he cracked one beer after another. We began before noon.

'Meant for each other'

Ryan Arcand was born on the Alexander Reserve near Edmonton 43 years ago. A family member told us he and his brother were taken away by social workers when he was three or four years old.

The YouTube video showing Ryan Arcand playing the free red piano in Edmonton's Winston Churchill Square was viewed nearly two million times within a week of being posted. (YouTube/VVRoz P)

Arcand says he first encountered a piano in the basement of a foster home when he was eight.

"It was as though we were meant for each other," Arcand explained. "You're looking at the piano and you're falling in love with it."

He says he sat down and began to play, first movie and soap opera themes, and then music of his own composition.

"I was in tears with this piano" he says.

How and when Arcand's life went off the rails is unclear. An aunt who spoke with CBC News says she has tried for years to help him get off the streets.

'It's like you're playing, but you forget yourself.'- Ryan Arcand on performing

"There is hope for him," says Ruth Arcand, "but he is set in his ways on the street."

Over the years, Arcand has had many encounters with the law, often because of drinking.

He was recently banned from playing the piano in Churchill Square because he was caught with an open can of beer, and has been barred from playing a piano in the foyer of Edmonton's city hall.

Arcand said he used to spend many afternoons playing piano at a downtown hospital — until he says he was banned from there as well for drinking hand sanitizer.

'This is a dream'

After chatting with Arcand, we took him to the nearest available piano, which happened to be a Steinway Grand located inside a nearby church.

He lit up at the sight of the instrument, immediately sitting down on the bench and murmuring, "This is a dream."

Arcand smiles in delight when he's shown the YouTube video Polard posted of him on Oct. 23. (Rick Bremness/CBC)

Arcand then launched into the same melody that made him famous on YouTube. 

He didn't stop playing until a priest said he'd have to wrap up, because the church organist had arrived and needed to practise.

Asked how he feels when he plays, Arcand responded, "It's like you're playing, but you forget yourself."

He continued: "You know, it's like truth, life. I love people. Sometimes I don't even know if people love me, but it doesn't matter. I love people."

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