Mariah Carey broke three Guinness world records
This week, the Guinness Book of World Records awarded Mariah Carey a trifecta of world records. Thanks to her evergreen holiday hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which was released in 1994 and remained on our holiday playlists ever since, the singer now holds the record for highest-charting holiday (Christmas/New Year) song on the Hot 100 by a solo artist, as well as most streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours — with over 10.8 million streams last December — and most weeks in the UK singles Top 10 chart for a Christmas song. All three records will be included in the Guinness World Records 2020 Edition book.
Anne with an E was cancelled
After three seasons on CBC, Anne With An E, a television series based on the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, was cancelled. Fans rose up on social media in protest, resulting in two related hashtags trending on Twitter for the next few days: #RenewAnneWithAnE and #SaveAnneWithanE. The Toronto Star spoke with several fans of the show around the world, who are heartbroken over its cancellation. It doesn’t seem like either CBC or Netflix (which streams the show worldwide) are stepping in to save the show a la Brooklyn Nine-Nine or One Day At A Time but you never know.
Kindred spirits are rallying online in hopes of saving Anne With An E, their beloved series cancelled by CBC and Netflix earlier this week. | @CBCEnthttps://t.co/SjNBerUdUq
Quibi announced the lineup for its upcoming JLo-helmed series
Bite-sized streaming platform Quibi, which will be launching on mobile in April 2020, has announced several of the participants for its upcoming series Thanks A Million, produced by Jennifer Lopez. The show’s pay-it-forward premise sees celebrities like Kristen Bell, Karlie Kloss and Alex Rodriguez each gifting $100,000 to a person who has had a positive impact on their life, who is then encouraged to pass a portion of that sum on to someone else. In other Quibi-related news, Andy Samberg just signed on to host a “teeny-tiny food competition show” for the platform. To catch up on all the other big names who will be debuting shows on the platform next year, head here.
Melissa Benoist shared her story of domestic violence
Melissa Benoist, who plays the lead in superhero television show Supergirl, shared an extremely vulnerable story on her Instagram feed this past week. In a 14-minute video captioned “Life Isn’t Always What It Seems,” she spoke at length about a former partner who emotionally and physically abused her for years. Without naming the partner, she described him as “a magnanimous person” who “could be charming, funny, manipulative (and) devious.” Fighting back tears, she shared some graphic details about the abuse: “The stark truth is I learned what it felt like to be pinned down and slapped repeatedly, punched so hard the wind was knocked out of me, dragged by my hair across pavement, headbutted, pinched till my skin broke, shoved into a wall so hard the drywall broke, choked.” Soon after Benoist shared her story, the hashtag #IStandWithMelissa began trending on Twitter, with fans commending her for her courage in coming forward and raising awareness about Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
Early this week news broke that Versace had filed a lawsuit against Fashion Nova, suggesting the California-based fast fashion brand allegedly copied signature Versace prints and iconic designs. Among the copied looks is the famous jungle dress Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammys in 2000, which might we remind you, single-handedly birthed Google Images. It came back onto our radar a few months ago when Lopez walked Versace’s Spring 2020 runway in a new version of this dress. Versace’s black and gold Barocco print and their multi-coloured heart print are other trademarked Versace designs involved in the complaint. Versace is speaking up on how Fashion Nova offers a plethora of trendy yet low-cost clothing to customers at the expense of a designer’s hard work and creativity. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the brand’s lawsuit stated: “Versace seeks to bring an end to Fashion Nova’s latest brazen attempt at copying the work of yet another famous and world-renowned designer.”
Alain Mikli is hosting a week-long retrospective event in Toronto’s Yorkville Village
Photo courtesy Alain Mikli
Alain Mikli launched their Yorkville pop-up experience on Thursday, which runs until December 4. The Paris-based eyewear brand is showcasing the history of Mikli frames from the ‘80s and ‘90s, with displays of one-of-a-kind archive glasses that have been worn by celebrities from Andy Warhol to Kanye West. Stop by Optical Outlook located at 110 Yorkville Avenue to enjoy the Alain Mikli selfie booth and shop the latest collection.
Michael Kors opened its new flagship store in Montréal
Photo courtesy Michael Kors
Yesterday marked one full week since the Michael Kors Montréal flagship grand opening, which is one of the only places in Canada where you can shop all of the Michael Kors brands under one roof. “We opened our first Canadian store in Montréal, so it’s always been a special place for me,” says Michael Kors. The store is housed within an historic building sitting on Sainte-Catherine Street. “I can’t imagine a better location for our new flagship than in the heart of the city’s downtown district,” the designer said of the space. And in a first for the brand, this location is also home to a food concept store. With cafe-style seating along textured green walls, customers are able to unwind from the bustle of Montreal’s commercial district with ReJuice!, an organic vegan juice bar.
Wolford and Vetements are launching a capsule collection
Austrian hosiery company Wolford is teaming up with French fashion house Vetements to launch two items. The first item in this drop is a redesign of Wolford’s Nude 8 Tights collection in Vetements’ true cutting-edge style, which creates the illusion of having tattoos on your legs. The second piece in the collection is a black knitted maxi dress detailed with white lines marking all of the locations on the body that are used for measurements in high fashion. This mini capsule collection is launching ahead of the holidays through Vetements and its stockists.
When you think of nails, it’s highly likely that the first name that comes to mind is Sally Hansen. A stalwart in the nails category, the brand has long delivered all of the tools we need for beautiful hands and bomb nails. And now the brand has given us yet another reason to love it – a new line of 100 per cent vegan nail polishes.
The line – called “Good. Kind. Pure.” – is made up of 30 colours, each with names representative of nature like Coconut Milk, Eco-Rose, Fruity Papaya, Beet It, Grape Vine and Sun-Tastic, in hues ranging from neutrals to vivid brights. All of the formulations have been made with 100 per cent vegan, plant-based ingredients, 75 per cent of which are naturally-derived.
Perhaps the line’s biggest selling point is that it is 16-free, meaning it is formulated without 16 ingredients considered to be potentially harmful to consumers. These include sulfates, parabens, acetone, phthlates, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, xylene, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, TTP, nonlyphenol ethozylate, silicone, glycol ether derived from ethylene oxide styrene and animal-derived ingredients. The brush is also made from 100 per cent plant-based materials, including castor bean oil.
In addition to the colour offerings, the brand has also included a top coat and hardener in the line, both of which are also vegan and are the first of their kind for the brand.
In a press release,Celia Tombalakien, the vice president of Sally Hansen Global, said, “Good-for-you products are becoming increasingly more important to consumers across all categories – and fulfilling consumers’ desires has always been at the core of Sally Hansen’s innovation. We are thrilled to introduce Good. Kind. Pure., our first vegan, plant-based line of colour and care that enables consumers to create a beautiful, clean manicure at home.”
The line will hit stores in Canada from January 2020.
French contemporary (and sister) brands Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot have all announced today that each will be fur-free moving forward.
In a press release from PETA, the animal rights organization confirmed that Claudie Pierlot will no longer use fur beginning with its Spring 2020 collection.
As noted by WWD, Sandro has been fur-free since Fall 2018, and Maje stopped using the controversial material from Fall 2019. All three brands are own by SMCP, which also owns menswear brand De Fursac. The company has confirmed that the latter has also banned the use of fur in its collections.
Taking to Instagram to confirm the news, Claudie Pierlot shared a picture of three raccoons huddled in a tree and wrote, “From now on, at Claudie, these families will never be separated. Claudie Pierlot is committed to stopping the production of fur within its collections starting January 2020.”
Mathilde Dorbessan, the head of corporate relations at PETA, said in a statement, “Contemporary consumers do not want clothes made in a way that involves the suffering o captive, tortured and butchered animals. By giving up on fur, the SCMP group’s labels have taken the right decision for the animals, the planet and consumers.”
The French labels join a growing chorus of brands in the industry to remove fur from their collections. Michael Kors, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Prada and Gucci are among the top tier labels to have announced they will no longer use fur. And it’s not just brands that are getting in on the act. Queen Elizabeth’s personal dresser Angela Kelly revealed earlier this month that any outfits created for Her Majesty moving forward won’t contain real fur. “If Her Majesty is due to attend an engagement in particularly cold weather, from 2019 onwards fake fur will be used to make sure she stays warm,” Kelly said.
Here’s a breakdown of all the movies and television shows we can’t wait to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Crave this month.
Everything Coming to Amazon Prime Video
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel: Season 3
Season two of this multiple Emmy Award-winning show saw Midge accepting an offer to go on tour with musician Shy Baldwin. This season sees her taking that career leap with her manager Susie, while at the same attempting a reconciliation with her husband Joel. This Is Us’s Sterling K Brown and Liza Weil (Gilmore Girls’ Paris Gellar!) guest star. Available December 6.
Late Night
Emma Thompson plays a female late night show host who hires an Indian-American woman, played by Mindy Kaling, to join her all-male writing staff in an effort to boost diversity (and ratings). Kaling—who also wrote the film—shakes up the status quo, challenging the racial, power and gender dynamics of their workplace. (Catch our interview with the film’s director, Indian-Canadian Nisha Ganatra, here.) Available December 10.
The Aeronauts
After playing a married couple in the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne reunite for yet another epic tale of resilience. Jones plays a daredevil pilot who finds herself exploring the unknown in a hot air balloon alongside a weather scientist played by Redmayne. Available December 20.
And here’s the complete list of everything coming to Amazon this December:
Available December 1
Will and Grace (2017)
Gnomeo and Juliet
Just Friends
No Country for Old Men
The Nut Job
Reindeer Games
Serendipity
I Don’t Know How She Does It
Down to You
Bad Santa
Four Christmases
Get Santa
The Nativity Story
Nativity!
Nutcracker in 3D
The Road to Christmas
Santa’s Apprentice
Winter Wonderland
Available December 4
John Wick
John Wick 2
Available December 12
Long Shot
Night Hunter
Available December 15
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love
The Boy 2
Available December 19
Booksmart
Available December 23
Angel of Mine
Available December 29
Midsommar
Available December 31
American Pie
Beverly Hills Cop
Black Hat
Fifty Shades of Grey
Monsters vs. Aliens
Mortdecai
My Spy
Oblivion
Everything Coming to Crave
The L Word: Generation Q
Groundbreaking drama The L Word, which ran on Showtime for six seasons from 2004-2009, is back for a highly anticipated reboot. Its original stars, Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey and Katherine Moennig, have reprised their roles, while a slew of new characters have been introduced. The series follows a group of friends—many of whom are queer—as they navigate love, heartbreak and career ups-and-downs in Los Angeles. Available December 8.
Killing Patient Zero
After its world premiere at the 2019 Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, this Canadian documentary is landing on Crave in line with World Aids Day. The film—based on Richard McKay’s book Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic—tells the story of the Canadian flight attendant who became known as Patient Zero, and was subsequently vilified for supposedly spreading AIDS in North America. The documentary debunks the myth surrounding the man and also depicts how the AIDS crisis rocked the LGBTQ community. Available December 1.
Letterkenny
The seventh season of this cult hit dropped on Crave just a couple of months ago, in October, but the gang’s already back with more. Seven new episodes of Letterkenny are landing on Crave on December 25. What better Christmas present could you ask for?
And here’s the complete list of everything coming to Crave this December:
Available December 1
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951) (Crave + Movies + HBO)
HOME ALONE (Crave + Movies + HBO)
HOME ALONE 2 (Crave + Movies + HBO)
LOVE ACTUALLY (Crave + Movies + HBO)
PETE’S CHRISTMAS (Crave + Movies + HBO)
MY BEST FRIEND’S CHRISTMAS (Crave)
A COLBERT CHRISTMAS: THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL! (Crave)
A RUSSELL PETERS CHRISTMAS (Crave)
CHRISTMAS TIME IN SOUTH PARK (Crave)
COMEDY CENTRAL’S ALL STAR NON-DENOMINATIONAL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL (Crave)
DOCTOR WHO: THE CHRISTMAS SPECIALS (Crave)
KILLING PATIENT ZERO (Crave)
12 MEN OF CHRISTMAS (STARZ)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984) (STARZ)
DECK THE HALLS (STARZ)
JINGLE ALL THE WAY (STARZ)
JINGLE ALL THE WAY 2 (STARZ)
SANTA’S LITTLE HELPER (STARZ)
THE FAMILY STONE (STARZ)
WILD (STARZ)
Available December 6
THE AFTERMATH (Crave + Movies + HBO)
THE MUSTANG (Crave + Movies + HBO)
EDDIE GRIFFIN: E-NIGGMA (Crave)
FIREMAN SAM, Season 9 – 11 (Crave)
JANN ARDEN – READY TO LAUGH (Crave)
DAVID FOSTER: OFF THE RECORD (Crave)
BLACK SWAN (STARZ)
CONOR MCGREGOR: NOTORIOUS (STARZ)
KICK-ASS 2 (STARZ)
OFFICE SPACE (STARZ)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (STARZ)
THE COMMITMENTS (STARZ)
THE MAZE RUNNER (STARZ)
Available December 7
DAN SODER STAND UP SPECIAL (Crave + Movies + HBO)
Available December 8
WORK IN PROGRESS *Series Premiere* (Crave)
THE L WORD: GENERATION Q *Series Premiere* (Crave)
Available December 9
FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN (Crave)
MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH: A VERY MARY HOLIDAY (Crave)
RIVER (STARZ)
Available December 10
NINA (STARZ)
Available December 11
MOONLIGHT SONATA: Deafness in Three Movements (Crave + Movies + HBO)
ZOOM (STARZ)
Available December 12
SHAKES THE CLOWN (STARZ)
Available December 13
MEL BROOKS: UNWRAPPED (Crave + Movies + HBO)
FAUVE (Crave + Movies + HBO)
MAHALIA MELTS IN THE RAIN (Crave + Movies + HBO)
PASEO (Crave + Movies + HBO)
PLEASE SPEAK CONTINUOUSLY AND DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCES AS THEY COME TO YOU (Crave + Movies + HBO)
RACETIME (Crave + Movies + HBO)
STOCKHOLM (Crave + Movies + HBO)
THE DROP-IN (Crave + Movies + HBO)
THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE (Crave + Movies + HBO)
TIPPED (Crave + Movies + HBO)
STOCKHOLM (Crave + Movies + HBO)
THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE (Crave + Movies + HBO)
OLLIE & MOON, Season 1A (Crave)
JUMPING THE BROOM (STARZ)
KAHLIL GIBRAN’S THE PROPHET (STARZ)
MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA (STARZ)
RUDY (STARZ)
SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE (STARZ)
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (STARZ)
Available December 14
THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (Crave + Movies + HBO)
Available December 16
SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD (Crave)
REMEMBER (STARZ)
Available December 17
WELL GROOMED (Crave + Movies + HBO)
CLOSET MONSTER (STARZ)
EVERYWHERE (STARZ)
Available December 18
FINDING THE WAY HOME (Crave + Movies + HBO)
Available December 19
FAST COLOUR (Crave + Movies + HBO)
MOMMY’S LITTLE PRINCESS (Crave + Movies + HBO)
Available December 20
BRIGHTBURN (Crave + Movies + HBO)
THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR (Crave + Movies + HBO)
SQUISH, Season 1A (Crave)
CANADA’S WALK OF FAME 2019 (Crave)
THE WRESTLERS, Season 1 (Crave)
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (STARZ)
DUMB & DUMBER (STARZ)
THE HANGOVER PART III (STARZ)
Available December 23
FUNNY TWEETS (Crave)
CATS & DOGS 2: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE (STARZ)
Available December 24
ANNIE (2014) (STARZ)
GOONIES (STARZ)
PHANTOM BOY (STARZ)
RACING STRIPES (STARZ)
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (STARZ)
Available December 25
CURIOUS GEORGE: ROYAL MONKEY (Crave + Movies + HBO)
DESPICABLE ME 2 (STARZ)
MY DOG SKIP (STARZ)
THE LADYBUG (STARZ)
Available December 26
SHAZAM! (Crave + Movies + HBO)
ICE AGE (STARZ)
ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT (STARZ)
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (STARZ)
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS (STARZ)
Available December 27
ARLI$$, Seasons 1 – 7 (Crave + Movies + HBO)
MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL (Crave + Movies + HBO)
RED JOAN (Crave + Movies + HBO)
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 (Crave + Movies + HBO)
DURAN DURAN: THERE’S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW (Crave)
NEW ORDER: DECADES (Crave)
CARTER, Season 2 (Crave)
TEMPTATION ISLAND, Season 2 (Crave)
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (STARZ)
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN (STARZ)
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (STARZ)
ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (STARZ)
SUPERMAN (1977) (STARZ)
THE GREAT GATSBY (STARZ)
THUNDERSTRUCK (STARZ)
Available December 30
MEMORY: ORIGINS OF ALIEN (Crave)
It is definitely the season of shopping, and with sales popping up all around, now is the time to finally get your hands on that gorgeous bag you’ve been eyeing all year. Or maybe surprise your closest friend with an extra special gift that won’t break the bank. Below are five sample sales popping up in and around Toronto this week. Our tip: arrive early, rested, and with water and snacks in tow.
Kleinfeld Canada
Kleinfeld is hosting a huge sample sale in honour of Black Friday. On November 29 at the Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay salon in Toronto, save up to 90 per cent off select designer gowns by labels like Pnina Tornai, Ines di Santo and Mikaella Bridal. With prices starting at $199 and shoes and accessories capping at $39.99, there’s no time to wait. Though walk-ins are welcome, booking an appointment is highly recommended.
The sale will offer women’s and men’s clothing, handbags, jewellery, shoes, robes, accessories and more all up to 90 per cent off. This returning event, due to high demand, will see more inventory, a larger ballroom and more cashiers for quicker checkout. Catch this sale on December 2 and 3 from 10am to midnight, December 4 from 10am to 11pm, and December 5 from 10am to 9pm.
Location: Le Parc, 8432 Leslie Street, Thornhill, Ont. L3T 7M6
Get your hands on Adidas footwear, clothing and accessories, all up to 80 per cent off. Six days long, the sale will run on December 3 from 10am to 10pm, December 4 from 11am to 10pm, December 5 and 6 from 11am to 9pm and December 7 and 8 from 10am to 6pm.
Location: International Centre, Hall 6, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, Ont. L4V 1E8
Score some premium winter jackets ahead of the coldest season, including Mackage, Rudsak, Nobis, Soia & Kyo and Arctic North. With over 10,000 winter parka coats at up to 70 per cent off, you’ll be sure to find the right one for you. The sale runs December 4 from 11am to midnight and December 5 from 11am to 10pm.
Location: Le Parc, 8432 Leslie Street, Thornhill, Ont. L3T 7M6
Add some Meghan Markle- and Kate Middleton-approved blazers and jackets to your wardrobe courtesy this one-day sample sale by one of Canada’s most beloved brands. Mark your calendars for Thursday December 5 from 11am to 7pm.
Location: The Spaces, 344 Geary Ave. Toronto, Ont. M6H 2C7
