FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
SPLICE
by FFWD StaffSigns of the Apocalypse
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Passion & Scandal
Edmonton writer Barbara Smith, author of the popular Ghost Stories of Alberta, looks at what some of Canada's most well-known citizens have done for love in Passion & Scandal: Great Canadian Love Stories (Detselig Enterprises Ltd.). From criminals to politicians, from heartwarming to hopeless, from one end of the country to the other, the book tells the stories that made these historic Canadians famous (and infamous).
For example: get the gossip on popular couple Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks; learn about how William Lyon Mackenzie King's affection for his mother led him into a series of affairs with other motherly women; read the heartwarming story of how John Ware's adoration for his wife compelled him through a raging prairie blizzard to bring her medicine; find out how John Brownlee and Vivian MacMillan's bizarre and illicit affair dragged their names through the courts to the foot of the crown; or discover the mystery of the unidentified young boy's photo contained in the locket of Pauline Johnson; etc.
In her introduction, Smith says Canada has more love stories than most people would expect - she even had to leave some out, so watch for a sequel.
Wolff & Byrd
Wolff & Byrd: Counselors of the Macabre #16 contains writer/artist Batton Lash's longest W & B story ever with the final appearance of lawyers Alanna and Jeff's longtime client Sodd, the Thing Called It. Sodd, who debuted in the first issue, has had a tumultuous relationship with the law. The issue includes a brief recap of his trials and tribulations throughout the comic's history, along with his final adventure. In addition, watch for cameo art appearances by other comic illustrators. Lash recently tied for Favorite Cartoonist in CompuServe Comics Form's Don Thompson Awards.
The comic is available at comic specialty shops or through Exhibit A Press, 4657 Cajon Way, Dept. 16, San Diego, CA, 92115. For more information, send e-mail or visit the Web site.
Population trends
· Two centuries ago, there were no more than one billion people on the planet.
· The population reached 5.8 billion people in 1996, having more than doubled since 1950.
· When deaths are subtracted from births, the world's population is growing by 80 million a year, nearly three times the population of Canada.
· According to the United Nations Population Division, the population will reach six billion in 1998, seven billion by 2010, and eight billion shortly after 2020. The mid-range population estimate for 2050 is just under 10 billion people.
· It is expected that 90 per cent of the population growth will occur in developing nations, which are already home to four-fifths of the world's people.
· The average annual growth rate is about 0.4 per cent for industrialized regions and 1.9 per cent for less developed regions.
· Although Canada as a whole is not densely populated, over 80 per cent of our population is concentrated within 200 kilometres of its southern border.
· During 1996, Canada's population reached 30 million, an increase of 50 per cent since the 1967 centennial.
· In recent years, Canada's population grew at about 375,000, or about 1.2 per cent per year, the second-highest rate in the industrialized world after Australia.
· Canada's fertility rate is 1.9 births per woman.
· More than 60 per cent of Canada's current population increase is from immigration.
(Source: Canada and the State of the Planet, by Michael Keating and the Canadian Global Change Program, published by Oxford University Press)
Web watch
Barbie is back in the spotlight these days due to the popular new single "Barbie Girl" by the Danish quartet Aqua, which has the makers of the Barbie doll outraged. However, Mattel Inc. does not appear to mind the plastic buxom babe being featured in several photos - including semi-nudes - on the Net, as it has even used some of the images itself.
The Barbie Chronicles: A Capricious Look at the Plastic Darlin's Infamous Days - and Nights! (rated PG-13) is a collection of photos by artist Dean Brown featuring Barbie on vacation, on the job, and in famous works of art. Check out shots of Barbie in Europe, India, or on the beach (topless). See a picture of G.I. Barbie in the army or as a waitress serving burgers. Or, find out about Barbie being the original model for Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" in The Incomplete History of Art, which showcases variations on several well-known paintings, photos and sculptures.
Brown has been making Barbie pictures since 1981, when his daughter gave him a Barbie for his birthday and suggested it might make a good model - 15 years and 300 pictures later, his work has been exhibited in some galleries in the United States.
Free stuff
Fans of Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street won't want to miss the latest presentation from horror mastermind Wes Craven. Wishmaster, directed by Robert Kurtzman with Craven as executive producer, features a cast of horror favorites including Tony Todd (Candyman), Kane Hodder (Jason) and Robert Englund (Freddy Kreuger), along with the genre's newest creature, Kjinn, played by Andrew Divoff. Fast Forward is giving away double passes valid Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the run of engagement at Cineplex Odeon Theatres. To win, see the ad in this issue for details.
The Globe Cinema has double passes for the September 17 premiere of The Full Monty. The film, directed by Peter Cattaneo, stars Robert Carlyle (Begbie from Trainspotting) as the fun-loving, slightly irresponsible Gaz, who hatches a plan to launch a striptease act in order to earn himself and his out-of-luck pals some much-needed money. To win, look for the Globe Cinema ad in this issue.
For fans of Japanimation, this is the final chance to win an original framed line drawing and animation cell valued at over $300 from Casablanca video. To enter, see the Casablanca ad in this issue.
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