February 1st marked the 54th birthday of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. In celebration of one of the world’s most talented artists, let’s look back at one of my favorite fashion collaborations. Elegant, chic, timeless, and iconic are all words that come to mind when I think of the Louis Vuitton branding. The first time I ever saw a Louis Vuitton handbag was when I was a child. My mother was given the Speedy 30 as a gift years before I was born. I was completely mesmerized by the “LV” monogram; I loved how it stood out in camel colour against…
Author: Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne, also known as "KB The Boss" or simply "KB", is a Toronto-based host/on-air personality, arts & entertainment journalist, TV/film producer, and communications and content strategist. As a commentator and freelancer, he has appeared nationally as a correspondent on CBC News Network and host on CBC Music. He has also appeared locally on CTV, CBC Radio, CityNews, Newstalk 1010, and ByBlacks.com, and in the United States on Fox’s Black digital TV network, Fox Soul. He has covered some of Canada’s top red-carpet events, from the Toronto International Film Festival to the Canadian Screen Awards, and has interviewed everyone from Kevin Hart and "Fast and the Furious" star Tyrese Gibson to Ziggy Marley, Ava DuVernay, Dascha Polanco, Lilly Singh, and Howie Mandel. His years of work as an entertainment journalist led to him being named a Golden Globe® Awards voter and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved critic and being quoted as a critic in national ad campaigns for Black films and TV shows, both in Canada and the United States. Pivoting into the world of film and television, Kevin co-founded the film, TV, digital content, and live experiences company, SHIFTER Entertainment, alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah. Through SHIFTER he has produced a number of projects, including the Bell Fibe TV1 unscripted reality series A Date In The Life, serving as showrunner, executive producer, writer and co-director. Now, with a number of pilot and feature film scripts written and projects in development, KB is poised to continue to be a champion for Black entertainment and culture alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah.
Over the past week, I’ve been sitting and monitoring social media gauging the reactions to the Oscar nominations, because really it’s just free entertainment seeing people argue over who they subjectively believe should win the prestigious award in their respective categories. But recently I came across more and more people and articles saying that the awards are racist or pointless. It’s gotten so far that big Hollywood names such as Will and Jada Smith will be boycotting the event and even the nominated Mark Ruffalo has considered not attending. All of a sudden, the free entertainment and playful arguments have…
Based in New South Wales, Australia, Daniel Cozens is a graphic designer at Mountainboat Design, a freelance company specializing in logo design and branding. “When I have no work (or my procrastination hat) on, I normally find myself coming up with fun little pictures that have popped into my head, which is a great way to stay balanced when working on a single paid project for an extended amount of time.” For more information about Daniel Cozens or to see more of his work, check out his website or Facebook account.
Directed by Adam McKay, written by Charles Randolph, and starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt. The Big Short follows four outsiders in the world of high-finance who predict the mid-2000’s mortgage housing crisis years before it happens, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight. If there’s one thing I can appreciate about a film, it’s when it concerns a subject in which I have next to no interest, presented in a way that keeps me interested. Films like Moneyball, the 2011 Oscar-nominated movie that could keep even the…
After starting our iPad issues in March 2014, last year marked our first year as an online entity. We launched our website on January 24, 2015 at our launch party. Since then our website has gone through a massive overhaul when it comes to colour scheme, layout and content (more on that later). As the workload increased we unfortunately had to make the difficult decision to put our iPad issues on hold to build up our website, but we’ll be bringing them back in 2017. Early in the year we added our first film reviewer, Vladimir Jean-Gilles, who would eventually…
SHIFTER had the opportunity to profile Canadian content creator Temitopé Owolabi who’s beginning to make noise in the fashion and photography world, being featured in top media outlets and working with leading brands. Here’s a closer look at Temitopé Owolabi. Name: Temitopé Owolabi Home Base: Ottawa, Canada Biggest accomplishment so far: Got my first A- during my fall semester at Carleton University. What creativity means to me: Creativity to me means expressing myself whether it is through fashion or taking photos of architecture, nature, people etc. My photos generally convey what I am feeling at a certain point in time. Past and…
This morning our film section editor, Vladimir Jean-Gilles, and film critic, Mathieu Chin-Quee, appeared on CTV Morning Live to talk about the top films to see in early 2016. Check out the video and behind the scenes pictures.
On Monday, January 18th at 8:50am, our film section editor, Vladimir Jean-Gilles, and film reviewer, Mathieu Chin-Quee, will appear on CTV Morning Live Ottawa to talk about the top films to see in 2016. Tune in!
It was almost a year ago that the SHIFTER Magazine team headed out for a night on the town; part work, part pleasure. Our destination? Nature Nocturne- a monthly museum party held at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada. We weaved our way through the many exhibits and dance floors until we arrived at what would be our final stop for the night- the Barrick Salon. We heard the sounds of 112, Biggie Smalls and Ma$e mixed with some classic dancehall. We found our spot. The sounds were so nice I had to meet the DJ. That’s when…
Gary Baseman’s year-long exhibition My Eyes Are Bigger Than My Stomach is now on display at Drake One Fifty in Toronto. A gathering of all his furry friends from every corner of the imagination, from its darkest depths to its heavenliest highs are all brought together by food. Because even you can’t decide which food you eat sustains which appetite, you must feed all of yourself and hope that the best parts are nourished the most… The exhibition includes what I like to call “The Wall of Dangling Tobys” in the foyer of the restaurant, placemats featuring pictures of Baseman’s meals…
SHIFTER had the opportunity to profile Toronto radio show host and sometimes graphic desogner, R. Chung, about his creative expression and who inspires him to create. Name: R. Chung (Co-host of 100% Canadian on Toronto’s G98.7FM) Home Base: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (By way of parts Unknown) Biggest accomplishment so far: Producing and hosting an all 100% Canadian show on commercial radio in Toronto. What creativity means to me: To create with no restriction. Produce the way YOU intend to produce, but make sure you create with execution. Create your ideas and make them a reality! Past and present creative icons:…
Directed by David O. Russell, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Rober De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, and Bradley Cooper “The based-on-true-event story of a laborious woman who fights through her family business to gain back what’s her and follow her long-lost dream.” Joy is the third film by David 0. Russell (A Silver Lining Playbook, American Hustle) who returns with a recurring cast of Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro who were all in Russell’s previous and superior film, A Silver Lining Playbook. Joy brilliantly tricked the audience from its misleading yet promising thrilling trailer featuring a strong driven woman played by Jennifer…
